


More Than Words

by hunter_king



Series: Supernatural - J2 [16]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bottom Jared Padalecki, Deaf Character, M/M, Minor Character Death, Schmoop, Slash, Top Jensen Ackles, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-29 00:50:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 37,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16733868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunter_king/pseuds/hunter_king
Summary: Jensen Ackles has just witnessed a murder. However, he doesn't know why the man was killed, and can't be of any help in that sense because he is completely deaf, and didn't hear anything about it. Jared Padalecki is the officer assigned to protecting him now that the killers have marked him as their next hit. Will Jared be able to do his job and keep Jensen safe? Or will Jensen have to pay the ultimate price?





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt fill from Sinful Desire in October 2010  
> Banner made by bt_kady  
> Unbeta'd  
> Words in _italics_ are meant to be Jensen and Jared talking to one another. I do not claim to know anything about sig language, so it's not accurate AT ALL! Please don't yell at me!

"He's pretty shaken up," Chief Morgan explained as he and Officer Jared Padalecki walked through the precinct. "He hasn't said anything, yet, but our specialists are with him now trying to get a statement." Before walking in, Morgan stopped, blocking the door. "Oh, and Jared, there's something you should know about him before you get started. He's deaf. Poor guy can't hear a single thing you say to him." Shaking his head in pity, Morgan opened the door, leading the way inside.

Jared was nervous. It wasn't unusual in his line of work, However, for this particular case, he was more nervous than he had ever been. How the hell was he supposed to protect someone if he couldn't communicate with them? After all, he had no clue how to use sign language, nor did he understand it. Yeah, this job was going to be a real challenge. But that was okay, because Jared loved a challenge.

As he walked in, Jared took in the appearance of the man he was supposed to be protecting. He looked so small; so fragile. Sitting with his knees tucked under his chin and his arms wrapped around his shins, fingers laced together to keep his hands in place. Watching his new 'project,' Jared thought that he was the most beautiful man he had ever seen. The freckles spattering over his cheeks and nose gave him a sort of boyish cuteness that made Jared smile.

Pale, jade green eyes scanned the room, flicking up towards Jared, clashing with champagne hazel before shooting back down to the table. Jared didn't think anything of it, except that the man must be kind of shy, which was understandable, seeing as how he probably didn't have many people he hung out with. Looking at the man, Jared thought that he was probably pretty solitary by the way he was acting.

Hearing his name being called, Jared quickly snapped his attention back to the Chief and everyone else around him in the room. "Yeah, I was listening," he lied. "Uh, what were you saying?"

Rolling his eyes, Chief Morgan repeated, "I was saying, this is Jensen Ackles. He's our primary witness to the murder of Steve Carlson. The killers saw him, and if he hadn't run, he would have been killed, too. So, your job is to make sure he stays alive and well. Make sure he's safe." With a smile, Morgan clapped his hand over Jared's shoulder. "You think you can handle that?"

Jared smiled as he nodded, his gaze ticking back over to Jensen, blocking out everyone else in the room once more. He was still unsure of how he was going to make this work, but he was the best in the business, so he was sure he'd figure something out. A smile pulled to his lips once more when jade green met champagne hazel once again. The smile that was returned to him almost stole his breath away. God, this man was beautiful. Jared was sure he'd never seen anyone more perfect in his twenty seven years of living.

Again, Jared's attention was brought back to Chief Morgan as he felt his hand on his arm, pulling him out of the room. "Okay, Jay, here's the deal," Morgan started. "He's moving in with you."

"He's moving in with me?" Jared asked, shocked. "But...normally, I just go to their house. No one ever comes to my house."

"Well, these guys are good, and they can find Jensen's address. This isn't the first hit they've done, and if we don't catch them, it won't be their last. So, he goes to your house."

"But...I only have one room. My apartment's small because I'm never home and don't need anything else. I spend most of my nights here."

Chief Morgan looked at Jared as if he was asking why that piece of information was of importance at a time like this, and Jared frowned. How the hell was he going to function while there was another man in his apartment that he needed to protect?

"And what are we going to do about me not being able to communicate with him?" Jared continued, shifting his weight to his other foot. "I mean, I don't know sign language and I can't learn it in the amount of time it's going to take him to move in."

Morgan looked at Jared, his brows knit in confusion. "What are you talking about time it's going to take him to move in? His stuff is being taken to your house right now by some of my associates. He's going home with you tonight." Seeing the look of shock on Jared's face, Morgan shook his head. "I told you, we can't risk it. These guys are good."

Smiling once more, Morgan once again clapped his hand over Jared's shoulder. "Don't worry, Officer, you'll do great." Chuckling softly, Morgan walked away, leaving Jared in the hallway alone.

Sighing, Jared walked back into the room with Jensen. Smiling, Jared waved at the man, who in turn smiled at him. "Okay, you can't hear me, can you?" Looking at him hopefully, Jared frowned when he got no reaction apart from the tilt of Jensen's head. "Right. How am I supposed to talk to you and let you know what's going on?" Looking around the room, a smile pulled to Jared's lips when he saw the notebook and pen sitting on the table. Quickly, he wrote: _Hey, I'm Jared. You're going to be staying at my place for a while until we can get the bad guys behind bars where they belong. Is that okay with you?_

Pushing it towards Jensen, Jared bit his lip, hoping Jensen wouldn't freak out. He sighed as Jensen looked up at him, another smile plastered to his face as he nodded. Mimicking Jensen's nod, Jared walked to the door, motioning to Jensen to follow, and he did. Leading the way, Jared went to his car, opening the door for Jensen so he could get into the passenger seat before Jared walked to the driver's side, climbing in. Gripping his seat belt, he looked at Jensen, letting Jensen know he was to put his seat belt on as well. He smiled when Jensen did as he was 'told' to do. Well, maybe this wasn't going to be as hard as Jared thought.


	2. Chapter Two

When Jared opened to door to his small, one bedroom apartment, he frowned. Jensen's belongings were just tossed about all over the place, not even in any order. It was like the pricks that brought it here merely tossed Jensen's suitcases into the room and left, which was just swell. Now, he was going to have to clean it up. Luckily, it was only a few suitcases and some random clothing tossed about. That was at least a plus. 

Sighing, Jared walked into the apartment, figuring Jensen would follow since, technically, this was his home, now. Only, when Jared turned to close the door behind the other male, Jensen was still outside, looking at Jared as though he was waiting for an invitation. Jared had to admit, it was a little cute, however annoying. 

A small smile played to Jared's lips when he waved his hand for Jensen to come in, and Jensen obeyed, a wide smile on his face. And apparently, Jensen's smile was contagious because sure enough, Jared's face was splitting into a smile, his large dimples denting his cheeks. Jensen obviously wasn't making a big deal out of his stuff being tossed about the apartment carelessly, so why should Jared? They could clean it up after dinner, or something, and everything would be fine.

Quickly, Jared ran into the kitchen, grabbing the notepad he kept on the counter, along with the pen and ran back into the living room, taking a seat on the couch. He then looked at Jensen, motioning to the couch to let the other man know if he wanted to sit, he could. And he really wished he would, seeing as how it would be hard to talk to Jensen if he was on the other side of the room.

Seeing that Jared wanted Jensen to sit next to him, another smile pulled to Jensen's lips. He liked the fact that Jared wanted to sit next to him, and the smile was just something he couldn't control. Striding across the room, Jensen took a seat on the couch next to Jared, leaning back in the seat, his head resting on the back of the couch. Slowly, his head rolled to the side so he was looking directly at Jared, emerald green eyes searching the younger male's face.

 _Are you hungry?_ Jared wrote, directing Jensen's gaze to the notebook in his hands. Really, they were going to have to figure out a new means of communication during Jensen's stay, but for now, this would work. At least until both of them got more comfortable. 

Noticing that Jared was trying to ask him a question, Jensen glanced at the notebook, smiling as he nodded. He was starving! After all, they had him locked up in that room all day talking to the translator about what he saw. And they hadn't even offered him any food. Drinks, sure. Every twenty minutes. But food? Not even once.

Nodding Jared smiled back, noticing that every time Jensen's face split into a smile, his would automatically follow. _What are you hungry for?_ he 'asked,' knowing that he would eat anything. Normally, he had Chinese, but it was just getting so old, these days. He was ready for a change. 

Jensen knew Jared didn't know the first thing about sign language, so he had no idea how he was supposed to let Jared know what he wanted. Smirking, he signed that he wanted pizza, laughing at the utterly confused look on Jared's face. Once his laughing fit was over, however, he took the pen out of Jared's hand, leaving the notebook in the other male's lap as he wrote the word pizza. It wasn't what he was used to while speaking to people, but it was really the only way he and Jared could get things done.

Pizza? Eh, Jared could do pizza. Of course, they'd have to order in because Jared _did not_ cook. Actually, he wasn't even sure if he had anything in the house to cook. Well, save for a carton of eggs, but he never really messed with those. They were just there so the landlord would see that he actually used his fridge. Huh, maybe now that he had Jensen over as company, he should really go to the store and get things they didn't have to order in to eat. Most people didn't like to order in every night. Jared was used to it so it didn't bother him, but Jensen wasn't, and it may have bothered him.

Looking around the apartment, Jared tried to find the phone. He really didn't want to have to get up, and he knew for a fact that he had been using the phone near the couch the last time he had it. So, he was sure it was around here somewhere. Definitely within reaching distance so he wouldn't have to move. Really, he had half a mind just to sleep on the couch tonight. That was how tired he was. Work had been a bitch lately, and he was no closer to catching the assholes who killed Steve Carlson. Well, he supposed he was, since Jensen saw them and had gotten a good look at them, but now Jensen was in danger, so it was pretty much a step forward only to take a step back, leaving him still standing on square one.

Finally, Jared saw the phone, sitting on the other side of Jensen. Great, that meant he had to get up. After all, he wasn't going to ask Jensen to get him the phone. That would have just been rude. Or, maybe he could have subtly leaned over Jensen and just grabbed it quickly so Jensen wouldn't think he was doing anything suspicious. No, he couldn't do that. Sighing, he opted to just ask Jensen. _Can you hand me the phone? It's on the table right beside you._

Jensen glanced at the notebook in Jared's lap briefly before he glanced at the phone beside him. He then picked the phone up and handed it to Jared. It was unfortunate Jared was going to order in, but Jensen shouldn't have expected anything different. Not many people had the ingredients for homemade pizza just lying around their house. Not like Jensen did. Really, he doubted Jared had much of anything to make around here. Judging by the looks of this place, he wasn't here that often.

Taking the phone from Jensen, Jared gave him another smile, glad that they could at least communicate a bit with the notebook. He knew the number for Al's Pizza Barn by heart now, so it didn't take him long to order a pizza. _Toppings? The works?_ Jared wrote, smiling at Jensen's nod. Oh, he was a daredevil when it came to food. Jared could appreciate that.

Once the pizza was ordered, they had some time to kill before the delivery guy got here, so Jared suggested that they get Jensen settled in, and Jensen agreed. So, twenty minutes later, Jensen was squared away in Jared's room, his belongings semi-unpacked and stuffed into Jared's drawers. It had been decided that Jensen was going to take the bedroom, and Jared was going to sack out on the couch. After all, Jensen was the guest, and it was the right thing to do. Anyway, Jared didn't mind giving his room to Jensen, seeing as how he only caught a few hours of sleep a night. And sleeping on the couch was not going to kill him.

**~~**

After dinner, it was already pretty late, so Jensen had headed off to bed, telling Jared he would see him in the morning. Jared had nodded, watching Jensen as he walked back to his room, a small smile on his face when he noticed Jensen slept with the light on. He had to admit, it was kind of cute. Seeing as how he wasn't tired yet, he opted to stay up and do a little research. Sighing, he grabbed Jensen's file, hooking his ankle around the coffee table's leg and wheeling it closer to himself. He then spread out all the papers on the small wood surface, studying them like they were study guides for his next huge high school exam. 

During his research, Jared found out that Jensen's father, Allan, traveled more often than not, and Jensen was left home with his mother. There was also another person of interest in Jensen's file as well. a Danneel Harris. Apparently, they had been friends since they could crawl, which Jared knew was going to be bad in this instance. Jensen was officially in witness protection, but if this woman found out he was gone, she would be looking for him. Maybe Jared would have to nip that possibility in the bud first thing tomorrow. After all, it was Jared's job to keep Jensen safe now, and having some squealing girl around here was not Jared's idea of safe.

By the time Jared was done reading through all of the files, it was well after three in the morning,, which would have explained why Jared was so tired. Sighing, he flicked off the lamp beside the couch, laying down, his feet hanging over the arm of the couch due to his long frame. He was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the couch, the day having taken it's toll on the young male. 

**~~**

Jensen woke up early the next morning, a small smile on his face when he realized that he had slept through the whole night and there hadn't been any problems. When he first came here, he was worried that he wouldn't be able to sleep due to nightmares because of what he had seen, but that hadn't been an issue. Plus, there was the fact that he was in someone else's bed, someone else's house, which had him wondering if he would be okay sleeping here. Again, not an issue.

Smiling wider, Jensen turned off the bedside lamp, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. Turning, he glanced at the clock, noticing that it was nearly 10. Wow, he had slept late. And like a baby, as well. Maybe this whole witness protection thing was the best thing that ever happened to him. 

Quickly, Jensen climbed out of the bed, padding along the hardwood floors to the door. As quietly as he possibly could be, he walked into the main living room, smiling down at Jared as he slept. He was really beautiful while he slept. All the worry and stress just seemed to disappear from his face in sleep. Jensen was sure Jared was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. Especially when he smiled. Those dimples were enough to make Jensen's heart start racing a mile a minute with just one glance.

Silently, Jensen made his way to the kitchen, pulling open the fridge, brows knit in confusion when he realized Jared had next to nothing in the line of food. A big guy like Jared looked like he ate a lot, so that led Jensen to believe that he was a workaholic. Great. Nothing like getting stuck with someone who's going to work all the time and ignore you. 

Eh, Jared was hot. As long as he was around and Jensen could look at him, he certainly wasn't going to complain about having to be here.

Shaking his head, Jensen grabbed up the eggs, figuring it was the least he could for Jared since he had so openly invited him to stay. Plus, Jensen made a mean omelet. his smile returned to his face as he began to cook up the eggs, thinking about what he was going to do today. Did witness protection mean he had to stay in the house all day, or was he allowed to go out. He really needed to talk to Danneel. Was that allowed. 

Wow, there was a lot he didn't know about this witness protection thing.

Ten minutes later, Jensen had the perfect omelet on a plate, a glass of orange juice and two slices of toast all ready and waiting for both himself and Jared. Now, there was just one thing he had to do. Wake up Jared.

Smiling down at the little breakfast he made for them, Jensen walked into the living room, kneeling beside the couch, watching Jared sleep for a few more moments. Reaching out a hand, Jensen smoothed back Jared's long bangs, his smile widening when he saw those amazing champagne hazel eyes fluttering open. Turning at the waist, he grabbed the pen and paper he and Jared had been using to write back and forth, jotting down one word.

_Breakfast._

Jared returned Jensen's smile when he woke, dry scrubbing his face quickly before he read the note Jensen was showing him. Nodding, he tossed his legs over the couch, stretching out nice and tall. He loved his couch, but it was not the best thing to sleep on. Now, he was all kinky and tight. But, it was just something he was going to have to deal with. Incentive to catch this creep faster, he supposed. 

He followed Jensen into the kitchen, shaking his head when he saw the omelet, juice and toast. It had been a really long time since he had eaten a good breakfast, and he had to admit, he was really looking forward to this. He sat down then, taking a bite, eyes closing in pleasure as he moaned loudly at the taste. Snagging up the pad and pen, Jared wrote Thank you, this is great!, smiling at Jensen again, dimples denting his cheeks.

Jensen nodded when Jared wrote that it was great. He was glad Jared enjoyed his food, and would have been happy to cook for him again. After all, it's what he did for fun; cooked. Oh, and he had the perfect recipe for a cake, as long as Jared had all the ingredients, which Jensen doubted. They were going to need to go shopping.

Before he knew it, Jared was writing him another note, holding it out so he could read it. _So, what do you want to do today?_ Returning his attention to Jared, Jensen smiled wide, the skin at the corners of his eyes crinkling. Oh, he could think of a few things.


	3. Chapter Three

Jared had to practically run to catch up as he followed Jensen out of the car. The other male seemed so happy to be getting out of the stuffy little apartment, and really Jared couldn't blame him. After all, it was his place, and he could barely stand being there, only choosing to sleep there on the rare occasion he actually left the police department. 

He laughed as Jensen grabbed a hand basket, pushing it into Jared's large paws. Smiling at Jensen he shook his head just before the older male ran off in the direction of the food. Quickly, Jared followed after him, eager to see what the other male had planned to get.

Half an hour later, Jared was carrying around a basket filled with boneless chicken breast, a can of diced tomatoes, cloves of garlic, a box of chicken flavored dry bread stuffing mix, mozzarella cheese, Italian seasoning, spiral noodles, a bundle of broccoli, and cheddar cheese. He had no idea why Jensen needed all of this stuff, but he wasn't going to complain. After all, it wasn't like he couldn't afford this stuff.

A small smile played across his lips as he followed Jensen to another section of the store. Jensen at least seemed enthusiastic about this little trip, which Jared just thought was adorable. He had come to the conclusion that he thought everything Jensen did was cute, or adorable. Unfortunately, Jared hadn't been able to learn anything about Jensen's sexual orientation, so he had no idea if there was a possible future here for them. But he was crossing his fingers. 

Jensen grabbed vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream out of the freezer, adding it to the basket in Jared's hand. After all, what good was dinner without dessert? Smiling back at Jared, hoping to get a glimpse of those sexy, irresistible dimples, his smile only widening when he was rewarded with them, he headed towards the fruit, grabbing chocolate and strawberry syrup off the end caps before picking up bananas and strawberries. 

Excellent. Now he had everything he needed to make dinner and dessert. Jared was going to love him by the end of the night, of that he was sure. Nothing says _I want to be with you_ like a good, home made baked chicken bruschetta with a side of cheddar and broccoli noodles. And damn, did Jensen ever want to be with Jared. Sure, he had only been around the younger male for all of twenty four hours, well, not even, but Jensen knew what he wanted. 

**~~**

It was nearly seven thirty, by the time Jared walked into the house. He'd had a long day, and to make matters even worse, he basically had gotten nothing done during that day. The prick who had killed Steve Carlson was still on the streets, and he was no closer to finding him than he had been seven months ago. 

Sometimes, Jared really hated his job.

However, when he walked closer to the kitchen, he was overwhelmed with how good it smelled in his house. Opening his eyes, having closed them as he inhaled deeply, he smiled wide when he saw Jensen gently sliding a delicious looking chicken breast onto a plate before spooning some cheddar and broccoli noodles onto the plate as well. 

When Jensen saw Jared standing behind the counter watching him, he smiled, skin at the corner of his eyes crinkling with his delight. He motioned for Jared to have a seat as he got into the fridge and grabbed a couple beers, setting them down on the counter in front of the plates. Finally, Jensen took a seat next to Jared, biting his lip as he watched the younger male take a bite of the chicken. 

Jensen didn't have to be able to hear the moan coming from deep within Jared's throat, the younger male's face giving away how he felt about the dish as Jared's head tilted back, eyes sliding closed in pleasure as he swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing as he did so. Feeling very proud of himself, Jensen smiled widely, tearing into his own food. 

Throughout dinner, Jensen started to teach Jared sign language. Just little things, basic necessities, basically, like _help, good morning_ , and _food_. Because Jensen liked food. Not as much as Jared, though, he found as he watched Jared tear into his third piece of chicken. 

After dinner, Jensen quickly wrapped everything up and tucked it into the fridge, figuring he and Jared could eat it later. Leftovers for tomorrow's dinner, or maybe lunch. As Jensen cleaned up all the food and put it away, Jared rinsed off the dishes and tossed them into the dishwasher, figuring it could run while they either hung out or headed off to bed. After all, it was nearly ten o'clock. 

Once everything was put away and Jared had the dishwasher started, Jared followed an usually giddy Jensen into the living room, allowing the older male to push him down against the couch, watching as Jensen grabbed the remote, turning on the television before he flicked off the main light, leaving only light from the television and the little lamp on the end table beside the couch. Jensen then returned to the couch, taking his seat beside Jared, possibly sitting a little more closely than necessary.

Jared felt a slight blush stealing over his cheeks as Jensen sat. He was close. Really close. Like, Jared could feel his body heat emanating off him Jensen was so close. Taking a deep breath, Jared tried to calm his nerves. Unfortunately, his plan didn't work, leaving him jittery and somewhat hard. Due to the fact that Jensen had turned out the main light, it was too dark for the notebook, so he had no way of asking Jensen what he had planned. Not that Jared was opposed to surprises. Actually, Jared loved surprises.

Approximately one hundred and twenty two minutes later, Jared had tears rolling down his cheeks as he watched Sam Wheat kiss the love of his life, Molly Jensen. Now, he remembered why he hated watching this movie when he had company. Because he cried like a girl when Sam had to leave Molly. He couldn't help it. Their love was so pure, and then he was shot and killed, and even in the afterlife, he worked so hard to protect the one he loved. Love like that didn't happen in this day and age.

He gasped when he felt a hand on his cheek, eyes sliding over towards Jensen, another gasp falling from his lips when he realized that Jensen's hand was on his cheek, thumb brushing away the tears there, Jensen's jade green eyes seemingly sparkling as he watched him. And, if possible, Jensen seemed like he was closer to Jared, now. As if he hadn't basically been sitting in his lap before. 

Jensen wasn't crying, Jared noticed, which made him feel like even more of a girl. Great, that was exactly how he wanted to feel in the company of a very attractive man who he hoped was kind of feeling the same way about Jared as he was feeling about him. But Jared learned early in life not to get his hopes up. You were bound to get disappointed, if you did.

Throughout the movie, Jensen had been watching Jared's reactions to certain scenes, smiling when he could see the sadness, the excitement, the horror, anger, and every other emotion play across Jared's open features. He had watched this movie so many times, he didn't even need the subtitles Jared displayed. Actually, he was fairly certain he could recite the movie word for word by this time. 

Needless to say, he hadn't picked this particular movie to watch so he could sit here and pay attention to it. No, he had chose this movie because he wanted to see how Jared reacted to it. Jared's reactions reminded Jensen of his own when he had watched it for the first three times, which he was hoping for. Jensen wasn't really a macho man kind of guy, and the fact that Jared cried during movies just made Jensen more interested. 

When he had first seen Jared start crying, he had every intention of just watching him, marveling in Jared's beauty. However, he broke and just had to touch. So, he reached out, sliding his thumb through the dampness staining Jared's cheek. And when Jared turned to look at him,he didn't stop touching, which he probably should have. But he was brave, and he had every intention of seeing his original plan through. After all, if he was wrong about Officer Padalecki, it wasn't like he could kick him out. Jensen was under his protection, so it all worked out. 

Slowly, Jensen leaned in, the wise words from the movie _Hitch_ ringing in his head. 'You go ninety she comes ten.' Of course, in his case, it would be he comes ten, but they were just words. His tongue darted out of his mouth to drag slowly along his lips, wetting them just in case Jared took the invitation, his own eyes darting to Jared's lips. After all, he didn't want to have nasty, dry lips when he kissed his sexy new roommate. 

Jared stared into Jensen's beautiful emerald green eyes when he realized that Jensen was touching him. He didn't really know what Jensen was doing, just that he was looking at him. Maybe he was reading all the signs wrong, but he was pretty sure that Jensen was going to kiss him. Of course, he wouldn't have had a problem with that, and it would have answered his question about Jensen's sexuality.

His silent question was answered when Jensen leaned in just a little more, eyes going to Jared's lips. Jared's own eyes were drawn to Jensen's plump lips when he saw the other male's tongue darting out to lick the full flesh, causing Jared to shudder slightly.

Without giving it a second thought, Jared closed the gap between them, pressing his lips to Jensen's, possibly a little more roughly than he had initially intended. Before the kiss could get too heated, Jared pulled back, searching Jensen's face as if he were asking for permission to continue. He didn't want to push his boundaries with Jensen and make their living together uncomfortable.

Jensen's answer to Jared's question was to lean forward once more, crashing his lips against Jared's, tongue sliding out to beg for entrance into Jared's mouth, which he was almost instantly granted. As soon as Jared's lips parted, Jensen thrust his tongue inside the other male's mouth, mapping out the wet heat. Hi tongue slid along the backs of Jared's teeth, the roof of his mouth, before finally tangling with Jared's own tongue, a low moan breaking from his throat to be swallowed up in the kiss. 

Shortly after the kiss began, Jared pulled back, panting hot breaths against Jensen's red, kiss-swollen lips. His hand then slid into Jensen's short cropped hair, fisting the silky strands as he pulled Jensen back in for another kiss, lips parting immediately in invitation, wanting to be able to taste Jensen again. 

When Jared pulled away, Jensen frowned, wondering if he was pulling away because he didn't like where this was going. However, before he could get a clear read on the younger man, Jared was pulling him back in for a kiss, which Jensen readily allowed. His own hand slid into Jared's messy, chestnut mop, digits tangling in the long strands, making it easier for him to move Jared's head when and where he wanted it. 

They made out for the better part of fifteen minutes, tongues tangling, teeth clanking and lips crushing against each other as they did. Finally, however, Jensen pulled back, smiling. After all, he wasn't the type to put out on a first date. No matter how hot his date was. Instead, he opted to turn on another movie, action this time, curling up beside Jared as they watched the movie.

It wasn't too long after the movie started that Jensen was out, head pillowed on Jared's chest. Jared smiled down at the smaller man laying on him, shaking his head slightly. He had planned this whole thing. Too bad Jared hadn't seen the signs earlier. If he had, he would have made sure to get home a lot earlier than seven thirty so he and Jensen could have had more time together. 

Oh well, there was always tomorrow. And the day after that, and the day after that. And every day until Jared cracked this case and gave Jensen the opportunity to leave. Of course, he hoped Jensen wouldn't take the offer and just stay with him, but he wouldn't force the older male's hand. He'd let Jensen decide on his own.

Sighing, Jared gently slid out from under Jensen, catching him before he fell on the couch and woke up. He then picked Jensen up, with some difficulty, glad that he had spent the extra hours at the gym these past few weeks, seeing as how Jensen wasn't exactly light, carrying the older man to his room. Carefully, Jared lay Jensen down on the bed, pulling the covers over him, tucking them under Jensen's chin before he headed back out to the couch, turning in himself.


	4. Chapter Four

Jared woke early the next morning, the smell of French toast assaulting his nose as he pushed himself off the couch. His first instinct was to mumble that something smelled good, but then he remembered that it would be useless, seeing as how Jensen couldn't hear him anyway. Instead, he walked behind the counter, right up to Jensen, wrapping his arms around the other man's waist before dipping his head to kiss his cheek as sort of a thank you for making breakfast.

Jensen smiled as he felt Jared's arms wrapping around him, tilting his head to the side and upwards slightly so Jared didn't have to bend down so far. After last night, there was no doubt in his mind about how Jared felt about him, so he wasn't going to pretend he didn't feel the same way. After Jared kissed Jensen's cheek, Jensen turned in the younger male's grasp, kissing his lips softly. It was early, after all, and there would be plenty of time for making out later in the evening when he wasn't making breakfast.

Smiling, Jared pulled away from Jensen, glad they were on the same page with where they stood. Slowly, he walked around Jensen, grabbing two mugs from a cabinet to his left, then poured coffee into both mugs. He didn't know what Jensen took in his coffee, so he just left it alone, figuring Jensen could do it himself and Jared would watch so he'd know tomorrow. Meanwhile, he dumped three or four heaping spoonfuls of sugar into his own mug, stirring it as he watched Jensen finish up with what he was doing.

Once Jensen was done making breakfast, he dumped two spoonfuls of sugar into his coffee and a dash of milk before he sat at the island with Jared, smiling as he watched the other male enjoy the French toast. He had topped it off with fresh cut strawberries and blueberries, knowing that it would add just the right amount of flavor to the meal. 

After breakfast, Jensen and Jared lounged around the house, watching an old movie on _TNT_ until around noon. Then, Jensen jumped into the shower, telling Jared to get in when he was done because they were going to the store again. This time, Jensen bought a ton of ingredients that would allow him to cook breakfast and dinner, finally buying some lunch meat and a couple loaves of bread for lunches. Now, they were stocked up for at least the next week and a half. 

Jared wasn't really sure how he felt about not getting to eat his usual take-out, however, after eating Jensen's food last night, he had a feeling he wasn't going to miss it all that much. He didn't know how the other male had become such a great cook, but he was sure that even after he got the killer behind bars, he still wasn't going to let Jensen leave because his food was so damn good.

When they finally got home, it was around four in the afternoon. The day had been spent shopping and then Jared took Jensen out to lunch before finally heading back to the stuffy little apartment. Now, Jensen was slaving over a hot stove, making Jared and himself some big juicy hamburgers. 

Of course, dinner was amazing, just as Jared had guessed it would be. Again, the thought that he was going to keep Jensen here after this case was closed skittered through his brain. Smiling to himself, he took a long pull from his beer, waiting for Jensen to finish up his own food so he could toss the dishes in the dishwasher, Jensen could put the food away, and then they could go watch a movie. It was kind of their routine, he supposed, seeing as how that was what they did last night. 

Finally, at around eight o'clock, Jensen and Jared moved to the living room, plopping down on the couch together after Jensen hit the main light, leaving them with just the lamp beside the couch and the television. Just like last night. That fact had Jared getting anxious, wondering if they were going to do something like watch a movie, or just make out all night. After all, they were just getting to know each other, and he didn't know how quickly Jensen liked to take things. Jared liked to take it slow, kisses were fine, but moving further too fast resulted in nothing but a messy ending. So, with Jensen, he was hoping to take it kind of slow. 

Jensen wiggled on the chair a bit until he was pressed up next to Jared, letting his head fall to Jared's shoulder. Tonight was Thursday, so it was comedy night. It was a tradition he and his brother had been practicing for years. Every night, they would sit on the couch and watch a different movie from a certain genre. Sure, they didn't snuggle like he was doing with Jared, but then again, they were brothers, so that would have been awkward.

He already had the DVD set up, so he didn't have to worry about putting that in, just pressing _PLAY_. The movie was fairly new, so he hoped Jared hadn't seen it yet, knowing that with comedy, unless it was awesome, it was funniest the first time around.

Jared smiled at Jensen as he watched him cuddle against his side. It felt nice to have Jensen there, kind of like he was supposed to be there, almost. He allowed his own arm to wrap around the older male's shoulders, pulling Jensen in closer, his cheek resting against the top of Jensen's head. Although it was one of the most corny thoughts he had ever had, Jared felt like he had known Jensen his whole life, though they had just met the day before yesterday. No matter, they were becoming closer fast, and he was happy about that. Though, at the same time, he was kind of scared.

It had been a few years since his last relationship, and it hadn't ended on a very good note. Chad had been abusive, though Jared could never find it in him to leave. After he had been hit numerous times, Chad would always come into the bedroom, curl his body around Jared and tell him how sorry he was. How he would never hurt him again, and how much he loved him. Jared had been young, having been seventeen when he first started dating Chad, and like an idiot, he had believed him. About two years after he joined the force, his partner, Misha Collins had found out about the abuse. He didn't tell anyone, thank God, but he did help Jared realize that it was never going to stop, and he needed to get out before Chad took it too far and put Jared in the hospital.

Noticing that the movie they were watching had been one that he had wanted to watch since he saw the commercials playing, he smiled wider, hugging Jensen just a little bit tighter. After all, any movie with the title _She's Out of My League_ had to be a real knee slapper. His theory was right, Jared hardly able to keep the tears out of his eyes as he laughed practically throughout the whole movie. He could hear Jensen laughing with him, and he thought it was one of the most amazing things he had ever heard. After all, it wasn't all that often, or ever, that he got to hear Jensen's voice.

The movie was over around ten, which meant that they still had time for another movie if Jensen was up to it. After all, as far as Jared knew, he had the day off tomorrow, so there was no need for an early bed time. However, before they watched another movie, Jared was going to need some food. He was starving!

Scooting up a little on the couch, both men having slouched during the last movie so they could be more comfortable, Jared pushed at Jensen slightly, letting the older male know he wanted up. When Jensen looked back at him as if to ask what he was doing, he signed the word _food_ , having remembered it from his and Jensen's lesson last night.

Jensen rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he chuckled softly when Jared told him he wanted food. Sighing, he pulled himself from the couch, heading to the kitchen, Jared following. He opened the freezer, pulling out the ice cream he had bought the day before, placing all three tubs on counter before he grabbed the bananas, blueberries and strawberries. 

When Jared saw that Jensen was grabbing the ice cream, he quickly pulled two bowls from the cupboard, two spoons and the ice cream scoop from the drawer. He then watched as Jensen scooped six large balls of ice cream into each bowl, two of each flavor. Once that was done, Jensen took two bananas, peeling them before slicing them down the middle, giving him two long strips which he placed on each side of each bowl. After that, he sliced eight strawberries, dumping four each into the bowl in an organized fashion. Finally, he sprinkled a handful of blueberries in each bowl, smiling when he was finished. 

Jared smiled down at Jensen as he leaned against the counter, eating his dessert. If Jensen made cake, then it was a done deal. He _definitely_ wasn't going anywhere. If Jared had one weak spot, it would have to be dessert. Well, anything sweet, really. Even just snacks that he'd eat in the middle of the day. As a matter of fact, he had a package of sour gummy worms stashed in his top dresser drawer. He was going to have to save them before Jensen found them. Not that he didn't want Jensen to be able to eat them, it was just he didn't want him to eat _all_ of them. 

After they were finished with their dessert, Jared actually finishing up Jensen's last couple of scoops, they headed back into the living room, taking their seats on the couch once more. It was about ten thirty, so there was still plenty of time to watch a movie, which is what they both decided to do, choosing another comedy to stick with the theme of the night. The movie was older, something they had both seen before, but still thought was funny even after they had seen it so many times. Then again, Nicholas Cage was a personal favorite of Jared's, so when Jensen suggested _Matchstick Men_ , Jared had eagerly agreed.

They were both asleep before the movie ended, Jared slouched down in his cushion, head resting on the back of the sofa, his left arm lazily hanging on the back of the sofa, as well. His lips were parted slightly, and soft snoring sounds were coming from him, longish chestnut hair hanging to the side of his face, covering his left eye slightly.

Jensen, on the other hand, was sprawled out on the couch, arms wrapped around his body, fingers of his left hand laced with the fingers of Jared's right hand due to his arm being draped over the older male. His head was resting comfortably in Jared's lap, body turned to the right so he could watch the television, knees bent just enough so that his legs could fit on the couch.

**~~**

A sudden vibration in his pocket pulled Jensen from his world of sleep, bringing him back to reality. Frowning, he reached into his pocket, flipping his cell phone open. It was a text message from his mother, telling him that she missed him and wished he could come home. He smiled slightly at the message, quickly texting back that he missed her, too and not to worry about him, adding on a quick _I'll be home as soon as you know it_ , just to make his mother less anxious. Really, in his opinion, the longer he was here the better. Here he had Jared, which was the reason he liked it so much. 

Sighing, Jensen looked around, noticing that he wasn't in his room. Instead, he was on the couch, Jared's body practically underneath him, legs tangled together and Jared's arms wrapped loosely around him as the larger male slept. A small smile crept across Jensen's features as he remembered the events of the night before. He and Jared had been watching a movie, and it was getting late, so Jensen had sprawled out over him, relaxing. Sometime during the night, they must have moved, because Jared had been sitting next to him, not laying nearly under him.

Slowly, being as careful as he possibly could be, Jensen rolled off Jared, landing on his hands and knees on the floor beside the couch. Quietly, he popped his head up, making sure the soft _thud_ hadn't bothered Jared. When he realized the younger male was still sleeping, he smiled, pushing to his feet, making his way to the kitchen. It was time for breakfast. 

By the time breakfast was ready, Jared was still sleeping, causing Jensen to frown. Usually, when Jared smelled the food, it woke him up, though not today. Shaking his head, Jensen padded into the living room, kneeling down and nudging Jared's arm. The younger man's eyes snapped open, and he nearly butted heads with Jensen as he shot up. 

Jared frowned when he realized that it had just been Jensen touching him, upset that he had almost totally freaked out. The smell of pancakes assaulted his senses almost instantly, causing him to smile as he pushed off the sofa. He then followed Jensen into the kitchen, watching the shorter male's ass move in his wrinkled jeans. There was no denying it, he liked what he saw. However, he wasn't sure when he had become such a pervert, checking out his guest as he walked around, but he didn't feel too badly about it. After all, Jensen had almost seduced him the second night he had been here. 

As Jensen put their breakfasts on plates, pancakes with strawberries and bananas on top, Jared made their coffee, remembering that Jensen took two spoonfuls of sugar and a splash of milk. He carried both mugs of coffee to the counter, taking a seat beside Jensen, holding Jensen's coffee mug just out of his reach when he went to take it from him, smiling as Jensen frowned at him in confusion. Slowly, he leaned in, brushing his lips against Jensen's softly before he signed _good morning_ , his smile still plastered to his face.

Jensen gasped softly when Jared brushed their lips together, not having expected to have to work for his coffee. Of course, he wasn't opposed to the idea of kissing Jared in order to get his coffee. It was actually a new thing, and Jensen was all for trying something new. His arms wrapped around Jared's neck then, hands fisting in his wavy chestnut locks, pulling him in for a passionate good morning kiss. 

Once Jensen pulled back, he took his coffee from Jared, signing _good morning_ as well, a smile of his own on his lips as he dug into his pancakes. After all, cold pancakes were gross. One of these mornings, he planned on making Jared his stuffed pancakes, but he hadn't had the right ingredients this morning, so it was going to have to wait for another day. He had a hunch Jared was going to love them.

The rest of the day was spent pretty much lounging around. There were some stolen kisses every now and then. A little touching, but nothing major. Jensen and Jared were taking it slow. And they were both happy with that decision, both men having been hurt before when relationships were taken too fast. And both men had this burning desire to make this relationship work out for the best.


	5. Chapter Five

"Earth to Jared," called Misha, waving his hand in front of Jared's face. He chuckled when he finally got Jared's attention, shaking his head as he leaned back in his chair. "Dude, where were you. It seemed like you were a thousand miles away. What were you thinking about?"

Jared frowned when Misha spoke, shaking his head. "I wasn't thinking about much. Not really. Just... Jensen." A small smile crept to his lips when he said Jensen's name. He had only been at the office for a little over an hour, if that, and he missed the older male already. 

"Jensen?" Misha asked, narrowing his eyes in thought. "As in Ackles? Jensen Ackles?" When Jared nodded, wearing another one of those _goofy teen with a crush_ grins, Misha shook his head. "Dude, do you have a thing for the witness? Huh, Jay? A little crush on this Ackles guy?" Jared's lack of a verbal answer, receiving only a glare that told Misha to basically shut the hell up, the older male smiled, laughing slightly. "Oh, Jay, that's so cute."

Grabbing his Nerf ball, Jared tossed it at Misha's head, laughing when his partner barely caught it before it hit him in the head. "Shut up, Collins. You're just jealous my relationship's new and exciting whereas you and Vicky have been together for years and you're washed up."

"I am _not_ washed up, Padalecki," Misha assured him, smiling. "I could tell you some stories, kid." Laughter erupted from Misha as he watched Jared shake his head vigorously, letting him know he didn't want any details about his love life. His expression then sobered. "No, seriously, Jay, I'm happy for you. It's about time you get back out there after everything that happened with you and that dick Chad."

Smiling, Jared nodded back. "Thanks, Misha. I really appreciate that." Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair, leaning over his desk, looking over the files in front of him. "So, what do we have so far? Anything that might link Michael Rosenbaum to these murders?" They had been chasing the guy for months, and they had no evidence to point him out as the killer. But Jared knew it was him. It had to be him. Jensen was supposed to assure him of that, but apparently, Jensen didn't seen the man's face. Or, at least that was what he was saying. 

Misha leaned over his own desk, shaking his head. "Uh, not much. We think that Rosenbaum might be a hit man of some sorts. Judging from all of the other victims, the killing was done pretty much the same way in all five. One shot to the head. According to Sandy, all victims were on their knees when they were shot."

Jared nodded, frowning as he listened to his partner speak. "Classic military-style killing." Whether or not Rosenbaum was in the military, they had no idea. It was never proven that he wasn't, nor that he was. He kind of hated this case due to how damn hard it was. There was absolutely nothing left behind that could link any of the murders to this creep.

"Yeah," Misha answered, sighing as he leaned back in his chair again, hands going to the back of his head, fingers lacing together. "So, what about you? Did you get anything from Jensen yet?" Smirking, he added, "Well, besides sex?"

Shaking his head, Jared frowned at Misha. "Jensen said he didn't see the guy's face. And for you information, Jensen and I haven't had sex yet. And we probably won't for a while." Smiling slightly, looking back down at his desk, he finished, "We're taking it slow so we can get this right."

Misha snorted when Jared told him that he and Jensen hadn't had sex yet. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he asked, eyes wide as he stared at Jared. "Dude, it's been a month since the two of you started living together, and now that I know why you've been skipping out on coming here so many times, it been almost a month since you two started dating. And you're going to sit there and tell me you two haven't had sex yet?!"

"We haven't, Misha," Jared assured him, rolling his eyes. "I told you, we're taking it slow. Both of our last relationships were rushed and they ended badly, so Jen and I want to get this one right."

"Jen?" Misha asked, smirking. "You call him Jen?" He couldn't help but make fun of his friend and partner a little bit. After all, it had been about three or four years since Jared was in a relationship, and Misha had been starting to worry that Jared was becoming a monk, or something.

"Yeah, I call him Jen. Or Jensen. And sometimes, when I _really_ want something, I'll call him Jenny." Shaking his head, he went back to work. He knew Misha was just messing with him, and he loved the guy, but he didn't want to talk about Jensen right now. Already he was missing him, and he just wanted to dive into his work. "Look, can we just get back to work? I don't really want to talk about Jensen right now."

Realizing that Jared was upset about something, Misha frowned, dropping the act. "Yeah, sure, man. Just one more thing. I'm sure Vicky will want to meet the man who's stolen Jay's heart, so bring him over for a barbeque sometime. You know, after this whole witness protection thing blows over."

Nodding Jared smiled. "Yeah, okay, we'll do that. Once this is all over." Again, he flipped through a couple of papers in one of the folders he was reading through. Nothing. He didn't understand how someone could be so good at what they did that they left absolutely no evidence. Not even a shred. There was always evidence, which led Jared to believe they weren't looking hard enough.

**~~**

"Hey man, you want coffee?" Misha asked, finally looking up from his work. It had been three and a half hours since they started pouring through all of these papers and files, and Misha needed a little pick me up if Jared expected him to stay here much longer. "I'm going to get some coffee. I could bring you back a cup."

Misha's voice cut through the silence, causing Jared to jump slightly. Coffee? "Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, I could use a cup. Thanks, Misha," As he heard Misha's footsteps heading to the break room, Jared dove back into his work, needing to feel like he accomplished something today.

"Excuse me?" came a voice behind Jared, causing the young male to turn in his chair. "Are you Jared Padalecki? One of the officers covering Steve Carlson's murder?"

"Yes," Jared answered, frowning. Usually, he didn't have to deal with people. That was more Misha's territory. After everything that happened to him those years he had been with Chad, he kind of lost his ability to be a people person, having been under the impression that everyone was out to hurt him. "Can I help you?"

Thrusting his hand forward, the man introduced himself. "Hi, my name's Christian Kane. I'm a District Attorney. I'm--I was Steve's partner. Your chief told me I could find you over here."

Jared took Christian's hand, shaking it. He had heard of him. Best damn DA in the city. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Kane. I'm really sorry about your loss." Great, the man who was in love with the murder victim. Right now, Jared was wishing he had been the one to make the coffee run. 

Christian nodded sadly, giving Jared a small, friendly smile. "Thank you. And please, call me Chris. I was told you might be able to talk to me about where you are with the case? Are you any closer to catching Steve's killer?"

Jared frowned, sighing. "Well, we have a possible suspect, but there really isn't enough evidence to do much with. The best I could do right now is bring him in for some questioning, but I don't really think it will get us too far." Motioning to a chair beside him, Jared sat, licking his lips as he pushed some files closer to Christian. "We think the man who killed your partner was a professional hit man. Which leads us to believe, someone hired him to hurt Steve. Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt him. Like, enemies? Anyone?"

Gasping softly, Christian looked over all of the files Jared had pushed towards him, blinking away his tears. "No," he answered, shaking his head. "Everyone loved Steve. I don't-I don't know of anyone who would want to hurt him."

Biting his lip, Jared sighed. "What about anyone who might want to hurt you?" It wasn't uncommon for someone to take out their aggression on someone by hurting the person closest to them. And being that Christian was a lawyer, there had to be some seriously pissed off people in the world who he had put behind bars, or friends of people he had thrown in the cage.

"What are you getting at, Officer Padalecki?" Chris asked, shaking his head. "Are you thinking someone hurt Steve to get at me?"

Slowly, Jared nodded. "I'm just thinking about all of the possibilities, Chris. I mean, how many scumbags have you put behind bars? And how many got out on parole, or are done serving their sentence? Or, what about the family members or close friends of the people you had thrown in the cage? I mean, there are a number of possibilities here."

"Oh God," Chris gasped, shaking his head. "So, there's a possibility that it's my fault Steve was killed?" The tears Christian had been holding back began to slowly slide down his cheeks, then, leaving long, wet streaks.

"No!" Jared answered, not even skipping a beat. "This isn't your fault, Chris. People are just...crazy. And sometimes they do bad things. Like hurt other people to get at someone they really want to hurt." Biting his lip once more, Jared placed his hand on Chris's shoulder. "Is there anyone you can stay with for a while?" he asked, frowning. "Just in case our theory is right, and you're in danger?"

Icy blue eyes met champagne hazel, a frown in their depths. "Do you think they're going to come after me next?" Seeing the small nod, Christian returned it, sighing. "Uh, yeah, I'll call Danneel and ask her if I can stay with her."

Danneel? Jared had heard that name somewhere. As realization hit him, Jared asked, "Danneel Harris?" When Christian nodded, Jared sighed. "Call her and ask her to come pick you up at the station. I need to talk to her about something." Quickly, Jared stood, excusing himself as he walked towards Chief Morgan's office.

On his way to the Chief's office, Jared nearly collided with Misha. "Oh, Misha!" he gasped, holding his hands out so he wouldn't hit the other male. "Sorry. Did I spill anything on you?"

Misha nearly screamed as he saw his 6'4" partner almost plow him over. "No, thank God. This shit is hot, man. Here, take yours." Once he had only once coffee in his hands, Misha asked, "What are you doing over here, anyway? I thought you were engrossed with the research?"

"I was. Christian Kane came to see me. He was Steve's partner. Now, I need to talk to Morgan about something involving Jensen. I'll be back over as soon as I'm done. Uh, keep Chris company." With that, not even waiting for Misha's response, Jared was back on his way to the office. 

His knuckles rapped on the glass window as Jared tried to get his boss's attention. As soon as he heard Jeffrey tell him to come in, he wasted no time, pushing the door open and taking a seat at Jeffrey's desk, the heavy door closing behind him. "Chief, I need to talk to you about Jensen Ackles."

Morgan looked up from his desk when he heard the name Ackles, frowning at the officer in front of him. "What about Jensen Ackles, Jared?" he asked, warning the man with his eyes that if anything happened to Jensen, it was going to be Jared's job that paid the price. 

"Um...well, he has this friend, Danneel Harris, and they've been friends since they were in diapers." Seeing that Jeffrey was waiting for an explanation, Jared continued, "Well, I was just thinking when she can't get a hold of Jensen that she'll come looking for him, so maybe we should let her know. I mean, we let his mother know so she didn't worry. And there's no contact with her right now, so I just thought we should do the same with Miss Harris."

Jeffrey bit his lip, considering what Jared was saying. It wasn't their normal order of things, but the kid did have a point. And he didn't need some nosy chick running around trying to dig up Ackles when there was a killer on his tail. "I'll call his mother later and ask her what she thinks would be best. If she sees it best to tell Miss Harris, then we will let Mrs. Ackles do the honors. Otherwise, you keep your mouth shut, kid."

Jared nodded, smiling slightly. "Thanks, Chief." He excused himself, walking back out to his desk. When he got there, Christian was still there, which meant Danneel hadn't come to get him yet. "Chris, hey, on second thought, you can just head out with Danneel. I talked to my Chief, and there is no reason for us to speak with her."

Christian nodded, wiping the fresh tears from his face. "Okay, thank you Officer Padalecki. I really appreciate all the hard work you're putting into finding Steve's killer."

Nodding, Jared gave Chris a small smile, shaking his hand before the other male left the building. Sighing, Jared took his seat once more, taking a large gulp from his coffee mug. He and Misha had a long day ahead of them, and he was really not looking forward to it. "All right, Collins, let's get some work done."

Misha smiled, looking up at Jared. "Why Jay? You and the missus have a hot date planned tonight?" 

"As a matter of fact, Misha," Jared stated, a small smile on his face, "Jensen and I do have plans. It's Friday night, which means horror movies. My favorite! So, Jen made homemade pizza and we're going to watch movies, probably until we fall asleep."

The smirk that had been on Misha's face soon disappeared, replaced by a look of sheer disbelief. "Are you kidding me? What are you, Jay, like fourteen, come on! How long has it been since you've had sex?"

"I already told you, Misha, we're taking it slow. And I don't need sex to be happy. I'm perfectly happy just laying with Jen on the couch watching movies."

Shaking his head, Misha mumbled, "God, Jay, you sound like a chick." The comment got the Nerf ball thrown at him again, causing Misha to throw it back at Jared, shaking his head. "You're such a child, Padalecki."

Jared caught the ball and placed it back on his desk, chuckling. "Get back to work, Collins."


	6. Chapter Six

By the time Jared got home, it was nearly nine o'clock. Quickly, he walked into the kitchen, smiling when he saw Jensen sitting at the counter working on a crossword puzzle. He was next to Jensen in seconds, wrapping his arms around the older male's waist and pressing a kiss to Jensen's cheek. Pulling back, he signed that he was sorry, feeling really bad about being so late. Over the last month, he had learned sign language, hoping Jensen would be in his life a long time, so he was going to need it. 

When Jensen felt arms wrap around him, he smiled, leaning back into the embrace. He was always so much happier when he was around Jared, and Jared's body pressed against his was something he wanted twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Seeing Jared's apology, Jensen shook his head, taking Jared's hands in his before he kissed Jared's lips, arms wrapping around the larger male, fingers tangling in Jared's wavy chestnut locks.

A low moan broke from Jared's throat as he felt Jensen's lips crash into his. Wow, he hadn't been expecting that. His lips parted in invitation as he felt Jensen's tongue tracing the seam, Jared quickly sucked Jensen's tongue into his mouth, tangling it with his own. 

Both men were panting when the kiss finally broke, their breaths mingling together as their foreheads remained pressed together. Jared's hand came up to rub his thumb along Jensen's spit slick, plush bottom lip, chuckling when Jensen sucked his thumb into his mouth, tongue wrapping around the digit. 

Once Jensen released Jared's thumb, he gave him a quick kiss on the lips before he pulled the pizza out of the oven. It was still warm, Jensen having received a text message from Jared around seven letting him know he would be late. Jensen had already cut the pizza, so it was ready to serve, making it easier for the two of them to get their food and get into the room to watch the movie. 

Jensen had already seen _JAWS_ about a thousand times, but it didn't really matter because he had no intention of watching the movie again tonight. It was kind of like the night he planned _Ghost_ , figuring they hadn't had much time to just be together these days. Jared was at work a lot, and Jensen was always stuck here without him. Therefore, tonight, he was going to make the best of it. 

About half way through the movie, Jensen squirmed closer to Jared, head turning towards the younger male before he kissed Jared, lips sliding along Jared's cheek towards his lips, tongue pushing into Jared's mouth as soon as Jared's lips parted in invitation. His hands then came up to cup Jared's face, thumbs stroking cheek bones.

Jared jumped slightly when he felt lips on his cheek, Jensen choosing to kiss him at the exact time a man was being eaten by the shark. He chuckled to himself, however, when he realized it was just Jensen kissing him, and not some giant, man-eating shark trying to eat his face off. His lips instantly parted when Jensen's lips covered them, allowing the older male access into his mouth, tongue tangling around Jensen's as soon as it was able to. 

Before Jared knew what was happening, Jensen's leg swung over his thighs as the older male straddled him, their lips still pressed together in a heated kiss. A low moan tore from Jared's lips, swallowed up in the kiss as his arms wrapped around Jensen's waist, left hand splayed against the small of Jensen's back as his right hand cupped the back of Jensen's head, fingers tangling in the short, silky strands of his hair. 

Using the hands which he had fisted in Jared's shaggy chestnut locks, Jensen pulled Jared's head back, panting as he studied the younger male's face. God, he didn't think he had ever seen anyone so beautiful in the thirty-one years he had been on Earth. Once he caught his breath, he leaned down, lips pressed against Jared's jaw before he moved lower, allowing his teeth to lightly scrape over the skin at Jared's throat.

Eyes squeezed tightly shut, hands gripping at Jensen's shirt, head held back so his long neck was exposed, Jared had never felt so hot before in his life. It was like someone had turned on the heat and it was pointed directly at him. The things Jensen was doing to his body were just amazing. Jared had never felt anything like it. Not that he had never had sex before, but with Chad everything seemed rushed, strained. Like the other male was only out to make himself feel good. But with Jensen, he was making sure Jared felt good, too. 

Slowly, Jensen kissed and licked away the sting his teeth left behind, sucking a spot on Jared's neck hard enough to bruise. Marking Jared as his. He knew they agreed to take it slow, but it had been nearly a month since they started this relationship, and he was ready for a little more. The fact that Jared wasn't pushing him away was a good thing, he supposed. Maybe Jared was ready, too. There was only one way to find out. 

Again, Jensen pulled Jared into a heated kiss, moaning as he pushed his tongue into the younger male's mouth, tangling it with Jared's own. His hands slid down Jared's body, fingertips brushing over hard, cloth covered muscles. Once Jensen's hands reached the hem of Jared's T-shirt, he pushed his hands up under the fabric, fingertips ghosting over Jared's warm, bare flesh.

Jared gasped softly when Jensen's hands came in contact with bare flesh. Although it felt good, he was kind of worried this was going to lead to something he wasn't ready for yet. He liked Jensen, sure. Liked Jensen's a lot, actually, but he wasn't sure yet if he loved him, and he didn't want to take the chance of ruining what was between them before he figured out whether or not Jensen was someone he could spend the rest of his life with. 

When Jensen's lips began to trail back down his throat, Jared once again tossed his head back, letting it rest against the back of the sofa. Misha's words rang through his head suddenly, making him feel like he was just overreacting about this whole thing. He and Jensen were both grown men and if they wanted to have sex, then they should have sex. After all, this wasn't the 1920s when people slept with each other for love! Really, Jared needed to be a little less old fashioned. 

Even as he was ordering himself to stop being so uptight about having sex with Jensen, something inside Jared was just telling him to wait until he was sure. His mama did raise him like that, after all, and he just couldn't go back on the way he was raised. He was raised, right, wasn't he? Of course he was. Not that Jensen wasn't raised right because he wanted to have sex now. 

God, Jared didn't even know what he was thinking. Misha had messed with his brain earlier with all that talk about Jared being like a teenage virgin because he and Jensen hadn't hit home base, yet. Yeah, this was all Misha's fault. If the older male had just kept his mouth shut, none of these thoughts would be plaguing his mind right now!

Jensen pushed Jared's T-shirt up his torso, revealing the smooth, hard body he was hiding beneath his clothes. Really, if you asked him, it should be illegal for someone as hot as Jared to hide underneath silly things like fabric. Slowly, his lips pressed against the center of Jared's chest, sliding over to a nipple, sucking the cinnamon colored nub into his mouth, his thumb teasing it's twin as he did. Once he was done teasing the one nipple, he switched, his opposite hand tweaking the spit slick flesh as he sucked on Jared's left nipple. 

Another gasp escaped his lips when he felt Jensen sucking on his nipples, hissing in his breath as his right nipple was pinched and pulled at. How was he supposed to say no to Jensen was he was doing these things to him? It felt too good to make Jensen stop now. However, when his cell phone rang, he had no choice. 

Frowning, he pushed Jensen back a little, shaking his head. _Cell phone. It's Chief Morgan. I have to answer it. I'm sorry_. Angrily, he flipped the phone open. "Hello?" There was a pause as Jared listened to his boss speaking. "So, she's going to tell Danneel about Jensen being in witness protection?" Another pause. "Yeah, okay. That sounds like a good plan. I mean, better to come from his mother, someone she knows rather than a stranger, right?" Pause. "Yeah, okay, Chief. I'll talk to you later. Bye."

Jensen flopped back onto his own cushion when Jared answered his phone, rolling his eyes. Jeffrey had impeccable timing, he would give him that. Even after Jared was off the phone, they didn't go back to the intimate behavior they were sharing before they were rudely interrupted, just opting to watch the end of the movie.

The moment was gone, anyway.

**~~**

"Thanks for bringing me home and staying tonight, Danneel," Chris smiled, handing his friend her mug of tea. "I just really didn't want to be alone right now." 

"It's not a problem," Danneel answered, giving Chris a small smile. "You know I'll always be here for you. I mean, just because we broke up doesn't mean it has to be weird between us. You know that, right? I just don't want you to think that our break-up has to ruin our friendship. It doesn't. As a matter of fact, I would prefer it didn't."

Chris nodded as he listened to Danneel. "Yeah, I know. I don't want it to ruin our friendship, either. It's just been really hard to do anything with anyone lately. Trust me, you're not the only one I've been ignoring. I mean, I haven't spoken to Jensen since it happened, either, and we used to talk every day."

Danneel gave Chris a small, sympathetic smile. "I understand. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I mean, the wounds are still fresh. It did only happen a month ago."

"Yeah." Sighing, Chris looked around the room, shaking his head. "You know, I still think I'm going to see him walk through that door sometimes. Like this has all just been a bad dream and Steve's just away at some gig. I'll look at the door every now and then, thinking I heard a car pulling up into the driveway. But Steve never comes through the door."

He bit his lip as he allowed his eyes to drift to the floor. "I miss him so much Danni. It's like there's a hole in my chest and it's not going away. I can't work. Can't sleep. Can't even be in this house without thinking about him. I just wish it would all stop. I wish the pain would go away."

Placing her mug on the coffee table, Danneel stood, walking over to the couch and sitting beside Chris, pulling him into an embrace, her hand stroking lightly through his brown hair. "Hey, it's okay. Just let it out. I know this must be so hard for you." 

Chris wrapped his arms around Danneel's waist, pulling her closer, crying on her shoulder. It was good to have someone like her as a friend. Someone he could talk to about how he was feeling. And he really appreciated the comfort he was receiving.

They sat on the sofa like that for a good hour, Danneel continuing to run her fingers through Chris's hair as he sobbed, offering him as much comfort as she possibly could. After all, there wasn't much else she could do but be here for him. It wasn't like she knew what he was going through, never having lost anyone close to her in this way. Sure, there were break-ups, but no one she ever loved was murdered.

Finally, Chris fell asleep, exhaustion taking it's toll on the young defense attorney. Good thing he was sleeping, too. He looked like shit, Danneel had noticed, though she didn't voice it. That would have been rude. 

Turning at the waist, she grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch, tossing it over herself and Chris. It wasn't long after that she was asleep as well, her cheek pressed against the top of her ex- boyfriend's head as she slept.


	7. Chapter Seven

Danneel woke to the sound of her cell phone ringing, the loud chirping being far too annoying to ignore. Blindly, she tossed her arm behind her towards the nightstand feeling around for the mobile device. Once she found it, she pulled the phone to her ear, pressing the _TALK_ button. "Hello?" she answered, her voice heavy with sleep.

"Danneel?" came the voice on the other line. "It's me. We have a problem."

Her eyes widened when she heard the male on the other line. "What do you mean we have a problem?" No, no. There was no problem. There couldn't be a problem. A problem meant everything had not gone according to plan and she hated it when that happened.

"There was a witness," he explained, shaking his head, though he knew she couldn't see it. He knew she was going to be pissed, so he held the phone away from his ear just far enough so that his ear drum wouldn't get blown to hell when the fireworks came.

"What?!" she hissed, trying to keep her voice down so she wouldn't wake Chris. Rolling her eyes, she carefully untangled herself from Chris, heading out the door to finish her conversation. "How the hell did you let someone see you?! And more to the point, why am I just learning about this a month later?!" Shaking her head, she nearly growled.

"Well, we figured if we just dealt with it, we wouldn't have to bother you. But when we went to the guy's apartment, he wasn't there. And he wasn't at any of his usual hang outs, either."

"Wait a minute. How do you know where the guy lives? And where he hangs out? Is he a friend of yours, or something?"

"Not exactly. He is a friend of yours, though."

"Which friend?"

"It was Jensen."

Those words nearly knocked her off her feet with the emotional blow. Oh God, Jensen had witnessed the murder, and now she needed to get rid of him so he wouldn't blab. After all, if Mike and Tom went to prison, they wouldn't hesitate to give her up for hiring them. Closing her eyes, she sighed. "Look, just find him and take care of him."

"Danneel, we looked everywhere. It's like he just vanished off the face of the Earth!" Mike complained.

"Shut up!" she barked. "I don't want to have to hear you whining. You fucked up your job and now I have to lose my best friend. Just get it done!" Without giving him a chance to retaliate, she snapped her phone shut, pressing her thumb and index finger to the bridge of her nose. This wasn't how this was supposed to have happened. Jensen wasn't supposed to be there!

After taking a few more moments to compose herself, she walked into the house, seeing that Chris was still sleeping soundly on the couch. This was all his fault. If he hadn't dumped her in the first place, then she would have never gone to Michael Rosenbaum to get rid of the only obstacle in the way of getting back with Chris. Steve. And now that he was gone, this should be a happy moment for her. But no, instead, now she has to lose her best friend because apparently the best were two goons who couldn't do their jobs right.

Sighing, she started the coffee maker, really needing a pick me up right now. Everything in her life had gone from perfect when she was with Chris, to terrible when he broke up with her, to okay when she found the solution, and finally ending with horrible now that she learned Jensen was in trouble because he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time because she had hired the men to kill Steve.

She felt tears in her eyes as she stood in the kitchen looking in the direction of Chris. For the first time since this plan popped into her head, she felt bad about it. She was supposed to get him back because he was missing Steve and they were going to live happily ever after. But no. Now Jensen had drawn the short end of the stick and he had to pay the price of her want for a man who didn't even love her anymore.

Sighing, she rested her head on the counter, waiting for the coffee to brew. Once it was finished, she poured herself and Chris both a cup before she started making eggs. Since she had lived here with Chris for three years before their break-up, she knew where everything was in the house, mostly. The only things she didn't know about were the items that were brought in after she was already gone.

Chris emerged from the living room about five minutes later, scratching absently at the back of his head. "Mm...I thought I smelled coffee," he smiled, taking a seat at the table.

"Yep. There's coffee and eggs," Danneel answered, smiling as he pushed the eggs in the skillet onto a plate for Chris. "You still like ketchup with your eggs?"

"You still know me so well," Chris chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee. Three cream, two sugars. Just how he liked it. "So, what inspired the cooking spree?"

Danneel smiled when she was told she still knew him. Yeah she did. And that wasn't going to change anytime soon, either. "Oh, you know. I just wanted you to get a good meal into your system. I remember last night you told me you haven't really been eating."

Nodding, Chris gave her a thankful smile. "Thanks Danni," he smiled. "You're a really good friend. Not that I don't appreciate it but, you really don't have to do all of this."

Taking a seat beside Chris, Danneel took his hand, giving it a loving squeeze. "I want to do all of this. I just want to make you happy."

Another smile graced Christian's lips, only this smile was a little more weary. It seemed to him like she was hitting on him. Then again, he could have been freaking out for nothing, so he wasn't going to say anything of it. Slowly, he pulled his hand away, digging into his eggs to make it look less suspicious. "Thanks."

**~~**

About twenty minutes later, Chris and Danneel were watching television, just lounging in the living room when Danneel's cell phone rang. Startled, she grabbed the phone before Chris could sneak a peek at the caller I.D. just in case Michael was calling her again. When she saw that it was Donna, she frowned, answering the phone. "Hello?"

"Danneel?" Donna Ackles asked, a smile in her voice.

"Donna, hi. What can I do for you?"

"Well, it's been a while since we've seen each other, honey. I was just wondering if you were up for a lunch date today?"

"Uh, lunch?" Danneel asked, pulling out her date book from her bag. "Well, I'm free today at one thirty. Would that be okay?"

Donna paused as she checked her own schedule for the day, smiling as she answered, "Yes, dear, that would be fine. I'll meet you by that little cafe on Carson Street ? Sound okay?"

"That sounds great. I'll see you then. Bye-bye." Hanging up the phone, Danneel looked over at Chris, noticing for the first time that he was looking at her. "What?" she asked, knitting her brows in confusion.

"Donna? Like, Jensen's mom?" he asked, surprised she and Donna still hung out after all these years.

"Yes. She and I are going to have lunch later today." Smiling, she tossed her book back in her purse. "Did you want me to tell her you said hi?"

**~~**

One thirty rolled around a lot sooner than Danneel could have imagined, so she was almost late to the lunch meeting. Luckily there wasn't a lot of traffic, and she knew how to use the gas pedal on her car, making it there with two minutes to spare.

During the meal they spoke about how each of their lives were going; Danneel about her successful tanning business and Donna about her charity center that was doing very well. Their conversation turned to Chris and how awful this whole thing with Steve was, then, making Danneel very uncomfortable, though she didn't let it show.

She was just glad when the conversation ended and leaned more towards a new subject: Jensen.

"So, I don't know if you've tried to get a hold of Jensen lately, but I think there's something you should know," Donna started, looking worried and sad.

"Oh my God, Donna, is everything okay?" Danneel asked, a part of herself hoping that he wasn't so this whole mess could have been cleared up without anymore problems. Of course, the other half of herself felt terrible for thinking something bad happened to her friend. She was so messed up right now.

"Yeah, Danneel," she chuckled, nodding. "He's fine. It's just, well, he witnessed a murder about a month ago, and now he's in witness protection. They think those brutal murderers are out there looking for him, planning on making him their next hit." A tear slowly made it's way down her cheek, Donna brushing it away quickly, muttering an apology.

Well, if Danneel hadn't felt like a real bitch earlier, she definitely felt that way now. Gently, she pat Donna's arm, frowning in sadness. "Hey, it's okay. Jensen's in witness protection, right? That means he's protected by the police, so he'll be fine." Frowning in confusion, she asked, "Wait a minute, if he's in witness protection, why are you telling me about it? Isn't that confidential?"

Donna nodded when Danneel asked if witness protection was confidential. "Yes, it is. But I got a phone call from the chief and he said it would be okay with him if you knew about Jensen since he has been your friend for as long as I can remember." At Danneel's nod, Donna smiled. "Well, his new cell phone number is (866)907-3235. And Chief Morgan said it would be fine if you went to visit Jensen as long as Jared is at the house, too."

Danneel programmed the number into her phone, frowning at the mention of Jared. "Who's Jared? And why does he have to be there when I see Jen?"

"Oh, Jared's the police officer assigned to Jensen's case. He's staying with him at his place. Now, I'm not exactly sure where that is, but if you text Jensen, he'll give you the address. Just text him the safe word so he knows Jared said it was okay. The safe word is jaws."

Nodding, Danneel programmed all the information into her head, ready to find Jensen and put a stop to this once and for all. Vaguely, she wondered if she should say good bye first? Or just let it happen? Letting it happen would be better probably. That way she didn't feel as guilty when the men went in there and gunned down her best friend. She thought so.

The luncheon didn't last much longer after that, both women having run out of things to say, and then Danneel having an appointment with a client that she needed to get to. Saying their good byes, both women headed off in separate directions, planning on meeting again sometime soon to catch up on how the other was doing. And they planned on having lots of conversations about Jensen and this whole mess he had managed to get himself into.

Oh, if only Donna knew the half of it.

**~~**

Jensen frowned as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, wondering who could be texting him right now. Sighing, he flipped the phone open, noticing it was Danneel's number. Good, Jared had been telling the truth when he said Jensen was going to be allowed to talk to Danneel. He needed to talk to her about these new feelings he was experiencing. If he didn't know any better, he would have guessed he was in love with Jared, but he wanted to be sure before he just blurted it out. And talking to Danneel would make him sure.

 _Hey, Dani, I'm glad you got together with Mom and she told you how to get a hold of me. Jared took my cell phone and won't give it back because it's dangerous for me to have it, or whatever. Anyway, I need to talk to you. It's important._

Danneel smiled when she got Jensen's text message, forgetting how much she loved talking to the young man. _Okay, well, tell me where you are and I'll come over as soon as Jared says it's okay. I really want to see you, too. I miss you, sweetie._

Jensen looked at the phone, frowning. Sighing, he headed into the bedroom where Jared was taking a nap. He hadn't been sleeping well lately because he spent all of his spare time working on this case, so Jensen told him to get his ass in the bed and sleep for a few hours. That had been five hours ago, so Jensen figured it was okay to wake him now.

Softly, he pressed his hand to Jared's shoulder, nudging the younger male gently. When that didn't work, he frowned, shaking a bit harder. Then harder still when even that didn't work. Finally, when he saw Jared's eyes open, he smiled down at the other male, glad that he was finally awake.

_Jay, I have a question for you. I'm talking to Dani, and she wants to know when she can come over. Can she come over now? Please, baby. I really need to talk to her. We won't bother you. Promise._

 

He gave Jared his best pleading face, hoping that it was as effective as Jared's puppy dog eyes. Those things could get that man off death row. Jensen was sure of it.

 _Yeah, sure, babe. I need to get up, anyway. Tell her to come on over_. Jared figured it was going to happen sooner or later, so he wasn't necessarily surprised when Jensen asked if Danneel could come over. After all, they were best friends. And he was sure Donna explained the safety issue, so that meant he didn't have to, which he was thankful for.

Jensen smiled, practically jumping up and down with joy when Jared gave him the okay. His arms wrapped around Jared, pulling the other male into a hug before kissing his lips passionately in thanks. He then whipped out his cell phone again, giving Danneel the address and a few short directions, telling her to get her ass over here as soon as she could.

When she received the information leading her to Jensen, she frowned. This was it. She didn't want to go see him first because it would have been too painful for her, she was sure. Sighing, he flipped her cell phone open, dialing Michael Rosenbaum's number. When he answered, she bit out, "Get ready to go finish the job. I found Jensen."


	8. Chapter Eight

" _Jen, come on, Danneel is going to be here any minute. You might scar her for life if she walks in on this_ ," Jared said, trying to make Jensen understand this was not the time for this.

Jensen chuckled, shaking his head. " _Jay, you worry too much. Danni will knock before she comes in and then we'll know she's here, so it'll be fine_." Repositioning himself so his ass was right over Jared's cock, Jensen smiled, giving an experimental wiggle. " _Now shut up and kiss me, worry wart_."

Jared couldn't argue with that logic. After all, it wasn't like Danneel had a key to his apartment and he always kept the door locked, so she had to knock if she wanted in. Yeah, he was thinking too much about this, and he knew it, but he was just a little nervous. Their relationship had been heating up lately, and he just didn't know if he was ready for it. The last time he had been in a relationship, it had ended badly, and he didn't want that for him and Jensen.

"Ahh," he gasped when Jensen wiggled on his lap, causing his cock to become interested. Oh, Jensen was doing this on purpose. He was playing dirty. Well, Jared could play just as dirty. Not that he was thinking about reciprocating at the moment because Danneel was coming over here. And he wasn't as bold as Jensen was apparently. Kissing was good though. He could kiss. Jensen tasted good, and he really knew how to use that tongue of his.

So when Jensen told him to shut up and kiss him, Jared immediately obliged, lips parting as they connected with Jensen's plush, full lips. He loved how Jensen wasted no time plundering his tongue into Jared's mouth, allowing his tongue to tangle around Jared's, caressing the muscle. A low moan worked it's way out of Jared, the noise being swallowed up in the kiss, urging Jensen to keep going as he felt the sound vibrating through his body.

Just then, Jared's phone began to vibrate in his pocket, causing him to jump slightly. He wasn't used to having his phone on vibrate, but with Jensen in the house, he kept it on that setting for some reason. Really, he wasn't sure why. It just seemed better. Tilting his head to the side so Jensen could kiss and lick at his neck, Jared answered the call. "What is it, Misha?"

"Dude, Vicky wants to come over today and hang out with you guys," Misha explained. "I told her about you and Jensen and how you two seemed to be getting close and she said she needed to meet him."

"Well, I thought you guys were going to have us over later. Like when all of this blew over. For a barbeque, or something." 

"Yeah, so did I. And I told Vicky that, but she said she wanted to meet the man who stole your heart as soon as possible." He could hear Jared breathing heavily in the background and looked at the clock, frowning. "Dude, did I catch you in the middle of your workout, or something? Because that is some heavy breathing."

"Huh?" Jared asked, knitting his brows in confusion. "No, I worked out earlier." Finally, he realized what Misha was talking about, not having realized just how heavy he was breathing. "Oh, uh, I have Jensen in my lap right now, and we're kind of busy, so maybe you guys can come over in a couple of hours?"

Misha's eyes widened to an almost comical size when he heard the answer. "Oh, yeah. Absolutely. We'll give you two some time to be together. Just...Jay, don't leave any marks on him where we can see it because Vicky still thinks you're sweet and innocent. Okay, well, enjoy, or whatever. Bye!"

Jared rolled his eyes as he hung up the phone, tossing it onto the couch beside them, forgetting all about it. If anyone needed him really bad, they could come over and get him. Whether or not he would answer the door was another thing entirely. 

Once the phone wasn't occupying his hands anymore, Jared gripped Jensen's chin, forcing his face back up so it was level with Jared's own. " _Kiss me. Want to taste you_." He didn't give the older male time to even consider whether or not he wanted to kiss him, merely plastering his lips against Jensen's. Of course, Jensen didn't seem to mind if the vigorous use of his tongue was any indication. 

About five minutes later, they were still going at it, hot and heavy. Jensen had Jared laying on the couch, his head resting on the arm of the sofa and his feet hanging off the other end, Jensen nestled comfortable between Jared's legs as his hand ran down Jared's chest. Their lips were connected still, tongues tangling lovingly as Jared's fingers carded through the older male's short, golden brown hair. 

Jensen's hand slid down Jared's side, fingers brushing against Jared's cotton clad side before slipping up under the younger male's shirt, feeling the smooth muscular skin hidden beneath. Jared felt nice, and it was a shame Jensen didn't get to touch him under his clothes more often. Therefore, he had to take advantage of it while he could. Like right now. 

Their kiss broke briefly so they could breathe, but they were soon kissing again, tongues once again caressing and tangling. Jensen's fingers found one of Jared's nipples, tweaking it just to feel the younger male moan, the delicious vibration causing his lips to tingle.

He wasn't sure when it happened, but Jensen's hips were now jerking slightly, grinding softly against Jared's own, their denim encased cocks bumping against one another's on each upward thrust. It actually surprised him that Jared hadn't pushed him away and told him they were moving too fast yet. Normally, as soon as his hand was up under Jared's T-shirt, Jared pushed him away.

Jared pulled away, breaths panting out as he gripped Jensen's shoulders. God, it felt so good. He couldn't take it. Heat pooled low in his belly as Jensen continued to grind into him, his balls drawing up tight against his body before the sticky wetness spread through his briefs, indicating that he had just cum in his pants like some horny teenager. Well, that was embarrassing.

A moment later, Jensen pulled off him, sporting an embarrassing stain on his own jeans, smiling down at Jared. " _Good to see I'm not the only one who can't seem to control myself when we're together_ ," Jensen teased, poking Jared's chest. Biting his bottom lip, he thought about suggesting they take a shower together, but then decided against it, not wanting to push his boundaries. After all, he and Jared had never actually seen each other naked. Not completely, anyway. Sure, Jared would sometimes walk around without a shirt on in the morning, and Jensen occasionally wondered the house in his boxers, but that was it. Never totally nude around each other, though like a shower would entail.

Jared chuckled when Jensen spoke, his dimples making a barely-there appearance. " _Yeah, I guess not. Good thing to, otherwise I would have been embarrassed_." Seeing that Jensen seemed to be in deep thought, Jared smiled, taking the time to look over Jensen. His hair was a little messy because Jared had been running his fingers through it. He had to admit, Jensen looked pretty good with messy hair, and it kind of made him want to mess it up more often.

Lifting his upper body off the couch, Jared kissed Jensen's lips softly before pushing him gently backwards. "Come on, we gotta change. Danneel's probably going to be here any minute and we can't open the door looking like this."

Jensen licked his lips, tasting Jared there, causing him to smile. He then nodded, pushing off of Jared and to his feet. Jared was right, after all. They didn't have time to do much else. Hell, they weren't even going to be able to shower.

Sighing, he walked into Jared's room, knowing Jared would follow. It wasn't like he had much of a choice, seeing as how all of his clothing was in there. Once he was in the room, he grabbed a clean pair of boxers and a clean jeans, moving out of the way so Jared could do the same.

**~~**

Changed and all ready to meet Danneel, Jensen and Jared sat in the kitchen together at the island, Jared munching away on a pack of _Twizzlers_ he'd found in the pantry. Smiling, Jared looked over at Jensen, formulating a plan. " _Hey Jen, come here. I want to try something out with you_." When Jensen obliged, Jared shoved the end of the _Twizzlers_ stick he was holding into his own mouth. " _Have you ever seen_ Lady and the Tramp?" Seeing Jensen nod, Jared smiled. " _Remember the spaghetti scene_?"

As soon as Jensen nodded, Jared leaned in, watching the older male as he took the other end of the candy into his mouth and began chewing. It wasn't long before they reached the middle, their lips connecting around the candy. Unlike in _Lady and the Tramp_ , Jensen and Jared didn't pull away shyly. Instead, Jensen's hands came up to cup the sides of Jared's face, Jared's arms circling around Jensen's hips, nearly tugging him out of his chair as he pulled him closer.

Suddenly, Jared pulled away, head snapping towards the door, leaving Jensen to stare at him, confused. The noise Jared heard was obviously lost on Jensen seeing as how he couldn't hear. But there was something going on outside the door, and Jared wanted to know what it was. Turning back towards the older male, he said " _Stay here. Don't move. I'll be right back_."

Jensen frowned when Jared told him to stay where he was. Quickly, he grabbed Jared's arm, pulling him back into the chair which he had vacated. " _Why? What's going on_?"

" _Jensen_ —"

" _Tell me_."

Jared sighed, defeated. Just as he opened his mouth, the door was kicked in, causing Jared to snap his head back towards the door. For a split second, he froze, forgetting everything he had learned when he was training for the force. Luckily, it all came rushing back to him when he heard a man's voice bark an order. 

Grabbing Jensen's arms, Jared hit the floor, forcing the older male down with him. " _Get down! Come on_!" Quickly, Jared pulled Jensen behind the island, pushing his back against the hard surface behind him and covering his mouth, just in case Jensen made any noise. " _There's someone in the house. I need you to stay here and don't make a sound. Okay? Can you do that, Jen_?"

Jensen gasped in shock when Jared pulled him to the floor, not exactly understanding what was going on, but knowing that it couldn't be good. After all, it wasn't like Jared just threw him around on random occasions. No, this was big. His eyes widened as he was shoved against the island, Jared's hand instantly clapping over his mouth. But it was what Jared said that had him really worried. " _What are you going to do_?" 

" _I'm going to go get rid of them_ ," Jared answered. " _Just sit here. And don't move. Trust me, it's for your own good_."

" _No_!" Jensen argued, lifting his arms and grabbing Jared's biceps. " _Stay here with me! Danneel's going to be coming over and then hopefully they'll leave_." He didn't really think that was true, but he was willing to believe it if Jared did. " _Please, I don't want you to get hurt_."

Shaking his head, Jared bit his lip. " _Jen, I'm not going to get hurt. I was trained for these kind of situations. In order to keep us safe, I have to do this. You've got to let me do this, Jen_."

Slowly, plush bottom lip caught between his teeth, Jensen nodded, releasing Jared from the death grip he had on him. " _Be careful, Jay. I mean it! If you die on me, I'll resurrect you and then kill you again myself as punishment for not listening to me_."

Smiling, Jared nodded. " _Okay. I'll be careful_." Leaning in, Jared gave Jensen one final kiss before he slowly, quietly left him alone in the hiding spot.

Jared could hear the men moving around in his bedroom, probably looking for Jensen's stuff to make sure he was here. He recognized both of the men's voices without even having to think about it. Michael Rosenbaum and his lover Tom Welling. He knew they had been behind this! From day one. And now, he had his proof. 

When he saw one of them emerge from the room, he grabbed his gun, pulling him in close and hitting him in the jaw, struggling to get the gun out of his hand. Of course, that did nothing but gain Rosenbaum's attention, making Jared extremely happy that he had the other male's boyfriend in front of him basically using him as a human shield. Finally, he got the gun away from Welling, quickly using the butt of the gun to knock the other male out. He dove for Rosenbaum just as Welling went down, knowing if he was still on his feet without Welling in front of him, there was nothing stopping Rosenbaum from shooting.

And he was right. As soon as he dove for the ground, a shot rang out, the bullet connecting with his entertainment center, taking a chunk out of the wood. Swinging his leg out towards Rosenbaum, he managed to hook his ankle around the other man's and pull his feet out from under him.

As Rosenbaum hit the floor, he yelped in surprise, the gun falling from his hands and onto the floor beside the bed. He scrambled for it once he had rolled onto his belly, but Jared grabbed his ankle and pulled him backwards, straddling the other male. Two swift hits to the jaw, and Rosenbaum was out cold, just like his lover who was laying in the other room.

Panting, Jared pushed himself to his feet, glad that he and Jensen had dodged this bullet without being harmed. But he knew they wouldn't be so lucky next time. He needed to get Jensen out of here and somewhere safe. 

Quickly, Jared made his way out to the kitchen, moving behind the island where he saw Jensen sitting. He looked terrified; like a small child. His knees were pulled up against his chest, eyes squeezed tightly closed, silent tears making slow tracks down his cheeks. Jensen's hands were pressed tightly over his ears, elbows resting on his bent knees as he rocked back and forth. Jared hated seeing him like this. It was even worse than that first day they saw each other.

Jared dropped to his knees then, gently reaching out a hand to touch Jensen, wanting to let the older male it was okay and he could stop being so scared. 

When Jensen felt a hand on him, he jumped, pressing himself back into the counter further as his eyes snapped open. However, when he saw that it was Jared, he smiled, throwing himself into the younger male's arms, his lips crashing against Jared's in a desperate, needy kiss. " _Thank God you're okay! I was so worried. And I couldn't see anything from back here. You have no idea how damn tempted I was to just come out and find you!_ "

" _I know, babe, I'm sorry. I just didn't want you to get hurt,_ " Jared explained. " _We have to get out of here. I'm going to handle them and then we're going to head to the police station, okay? Jeff's there, he'll know what to do_." 

At Jensen's nod, Jared stood, pulling the older male with him. He then started out towards the living room, only to stop when a sharp pain ripped through his sternum. He heard Jensen scream the word 'No' before he felt faint and fell to his knees, catching a glimpse of Tom Welling and hearing another gun shot. He remembered vowing that if either of those bastards hurt Jensen he was going to kill them himself before everything went black.

**~~**

"So what, we're going to be a little early," Vicky shrugged. "I doubt Jared will mind if we pop in ten minutes early, Misha. Why we had to wait two hours in the first place is way beyond me."

"I told you, Vicky, Jared was busy," Misha answered. "And I didn't want to interrupt him while he was busy. You know how he is."

Shaking his head, he rolled his eyes when his wife merely gave him a dismissive wave. If only she knew what he was busy with. Surely, she couldn't think that a twenty-eight year old man was still a virgin. But she saw Jared Padalecki as an innocent little child, apparently. 

As they rounded the corner, Misha's playful smile at his wife soon vanished, leaving a deep frown. Jared's door was open? Why the hell would his door be open? Looking back at his wife, he shook his head, holding up a hand to let her know he wanted her to stay back as he unsheathed his pistol.

Slowly, Misha pushed the door open wider, cautiously stepping inside. "Jay?" he called, scanning the place. The image before him had his heart nearly stopping. There, on the floor lay Jared with a bullet in his chest and blood pooling all around him. And a few feet to the right lay Jensen. He couldn't see any blood on the older male, but that didn't mean there wasn't any.

"Oh my God!" Vicky screamed from behind him, causing Misha to turn to look at her. 

"Call 911!" he ordered before turning his attention back to his partner, index and middle fingers going to Jared's throat to check for a pulse.


	9. Chapter Nine

"Has he said anything yet?" Misha asked, glancing over at Vicky to make sure she was still okay. He hadn't wanted her to have to see this, but she had stormed into the room when he told her to stay outside. Misha was just glad whoever hurt Jensen and Jared were long gone by the time they got there in that respect. If anything ever happened to Vicky, he didn't know what he would do.

"No, he hasn't, Officers Collins," the translator answered, shaking her head apologetically. "All he keeps saying is that he wants to see Jared." Biting her lip, she asked, "Is he--?"

Quickly, Misha shook his head, frowning. "We don't know anything yet," he interrupted, not wanting to know where she was going with that sentence. "He's still in surgery."

The translator nodded a small smile on her face. "You should go talk to him, I think. It might make him feel better." When Misha looked at her, she nodded once again, taking a seat across from Misha and his wife. "Jensen is in a really fragile place right now. His boyfriend was shot, as well as himself, and he feels like he's going to lose Jared before he actually had a chance to really have him. He's scared that those men are going to come back for them and hurt Jared again, and in my opinion, he's not holding himself together very well, not that I can blame him." Frowning, she added, "I just think it would be good for him to know that he's around friends who will help him get through this."

Misha glanced up at the translator, giving her a small smile. "Look, I know you're just trying to help Jensen, but we're not exactly his friends. I only met him once when we put him with Jared and Vicky's never met him. He doesn't know us. I doubt us being over there will really help him."

The translator nodded. "Well, do you know anyone he might relate to? A friend? Family member? Anyone who he might feel safe around and possibly open up to?"

Again, Misha shook his head. "No, I don't. The only thing I know about him is that he likes Jared. And well, I can't really give him Jared right now, can I?"

Seeing that her husband was getting a little upset, Vicky placed her hand on Misha's shoulders, giving him a small apologetic smile. "Why don't you go get some air, honey? I'll get you if there's any news about Jared."

"No, I can't. I should--" Misha started, pressing his thumb and index fingers against the bridge of his nose. 

"Misha, I wasn't asking," Vicky stated, her voice stern. "Go. Please? You look awful. It's stuffy in here and I know how close you are to Jared. Just go get some air." When her husband's electric blue eyes met hers, she nodded, giving him another smile as he stood and sulked towards the door. 

She then turned her attention to the translator. "I'm sorry about that. He's just stressed out. Misha sees Jared as his kid brother, and this is all really hard on him." Sighing, she shook her head. "But he is right. We don't exactly know Jensen. I don't think he'd feel particularly safe around us." Biting her lip, she added, "The one thing person he would feel safe around right now is the one person we can't give him." A single tear slipped down Vicky's cheek, which she quickly wiped away. "I'm sorry." 

The translator shook her head, letting Vicky know that she understood and there was nothing to be sorry about. She was sure that if her best friend had been shot, she would have been a blubbering mess. In her opinion, Vicky was handling this all very well. "I'm going to get a drink from the soda machine in the hall. Did you want me to get you something?"

Vicky shook her head, a small smile on her face. "No, thank you, I'm fine." Rubbing her arms, she looked over at Jensen, frowning. She felt so bad for him. "I'm just going to stay here and keep an eye on Jensen."

With a nod, the translator walked out into the hall, disappearing from Vicky's view. She sighed, leaning back in her chair. This was too much. The waiting. How long was it going to take to learn if Jared was okay?!

**~~**

Jensen rocked back and forth as he sat in the small chair, waiting for any news from the doctors about Jared. Everything had happened so fast; the men were unconscious one minute, and the next, they were up and managed to shoot both him and Jared. Of course, Jared had taken a worse hit than Jensen had, but still, it was kind of unbelievable. 

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Jensen jumped, head snapping to the owner of the hand. When he saw that it was his brother, Josh, his eyes widened, arms flinging around his older brother's neck.

_"Jensen? What are you doing here?," Josh asked, pulling back from the hug. _"Did something happen? Are Mom and Mackenzie okay? And what happened to your face?"_ _

_He shook his head when Josh asked about their mother and sister, biting his lip as his jade green eyes filled with tears. _"No, it's Jared. The men who are trying to kill me found out I was staying with him and they came over and shot him. And they shot me, too, but I'm okay."__

_Josh frowned when he was told that Jensen and the officer who had been protecting him had been shot. _"Uh, okay, Jen, just calm down. I'll go back and see if Jared's okay. I'll be back as soon as I have any news, okay. Just sit here and don't move."_ He didn't think these men would be stupid enough to come after his brother in a hospital, but he knew he couldn't be too careful. No, he shouldn't be thinking about that. Right now, he had a job to do; find Jared Padalecki and make sure he was okay._

_Jensen watched as his brother walked off, his white lab coat swishing in the air behind him. He knew Josh could get some answers. Being the chief of the hospital generally entitled you to answers._

_**~~**_

_Josh returned about twenty minutes later, the transparent baby blue shoe caps still on his feet, specks of blood dotting them as well as Josh's matching scrubs. By this time, Misha was already back in the waiting room, his hand on Jensen's shoulder as he tried to offer as much comfort as he possibly could. Luckily, he had the translator there to let Jensen know everything he was saying, because Misha didn't know any sign language. He was apparently going to have to learn some because he didn't see Jensen leaving Jared's life any time in the near future._

_Seeing Josh coming towards them, Jensen stood, pushing away from Misha, Vicky and the translator to walk over to his brother, a small frown on his face when he saw the blood soiling his brother's scrubs. No, there was no way. Jared wasn't dead. That was someone else's blood. _"How is he?"__

_Josh gave his brother a small smile. _"Jen, we were able to get the bullet out. It knicked his lung but didn't pierce or cause it to collapse. We were able to repair that without a problem. Uh, when he fell, he hit his head kind of hard, so he's got a minor concussion, but he should back on his feet in a couple of weeks."_ Smiling, he clapped both hands against each of Jensen's shoulders. _"He's going to be fine, Jenny! He'll make a full recovery."__

_Jensen smiled brightly when Josh gave him the good news. Words couldn't even describe how happy he was to hear that Jared was going to be okay. _"Oh, thank God! can I go see him, now?"__

_The smile still on his face, Josh nodded. _"He's in room 214. On the second floor."__

_Nodding, Jensen breathed another sigh of relief. They'd really dodged a bullet there. He started walking towards the elevator, only to turn once again, facing his brother, snapping his fingers to get Josh's attention. _"That man and woman over there are Jared's best friends. Tell them the news and let them know I'll be in Jared's room with him."__

_He didn't wait for Josh's answer, knowing that he would do as he was asked, especially if it was in the patient's best interest. And Vicky and Misha were Jared's best friends, so he would want to see them. No questions about that. As he walked out of the elevators, his heart was pounding with anticipation, Jensen being so eager to see Jared._

_Finally, he was at room 214, taking a deep breath before walking inside. Jared was sleeping, his eyes closed, lips parted softly as his breaths quietly slipped through. He looked beautiful, even with the white bandage wrapped securely around his head and the oxygen tube helping to make it easier for him to breathe. Jared was still a vision, in Jensen's opinion._

_Quietly, Jensen walked into the room, grabbing up a chair and carrying it over to Jared's bedside. Once the chair was set down where Jensen wanted it, he slowly slid into it, leaning forward and taking Jared's hand in his own. He then looked at the monitor, mainly to make sure he could see the steady pattern of Jared's heart beat._

_It wasn't long after that Misha and Vicky stepped into the room, their eyes on Jared. He figured that they told the translator it was okay to leave, now because he didn't see her anywhere. That was kind of a relief. He didn't really feel like talking much right now. All he wanted to do was hold Jared's hand while he waited for him to wake up. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to wait too long._

_**~~**_

_Jared hovered at the edge of consciousness, black shifting to shades of white and pink from the lights in the room behind his closed lids. He could feel a heavy weight draped over his hip and lower stomach, and a lighter weight over his waist, causing him to smile. Jensen. He must have stayed with him on the couch again tonight._

_Slowly, Jared blinked his eyes open, frowning as he stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Suddenly, everything came rushing back to him, causing him to panic slightly, the weight of Jensen as though it wasn't even there as his brain began to work through scenarios of what had happened. Jensen. Where the hell was Jensen. Was he okay?! Did those men hurt him? Oh, he was going to kill them assholes if they hurt Jensen._

_"Jen?!" Jared attempted to yell, not even caring that Jensen couldn't hear him. Saying his name just made everything better. But he couldn't yell. There was something down his throat. He couldn't breathe. He saw Misha and Vicky stand from the chairs they had been sitting in, but he still couldn't see Jensen, his heart beginning to pound in his chest, causing the monitor to beep rapidly._

_In his panic, Jared didn't notice the weight that had been on his lower body pulled off abruptly. He was too busy trying to find Jensen, his brain only able to focus on that one task. He had to find him. Needed to take him into his arms and just kiss him until he couldn't breathe. Jared had to tell Jensen that he loved him, because he was about ninety-nine percent sure that he did. And he needed to let Jensen know all of this because he had a right to know. Because Jared wanted to spend the rest of his life with one Jensen Ross Ackles._

_Suddenly, a nurse rushed in, frowning at Jared. "I need you to calm down, Jared," he ordered, pushing Jared back against the bed. He then proceeded to remove the oxygen tube and check Jared's IV bags. "Are you all right? Is there anything else I can get for you?" He gave Jared a curt nod when he shook his head. "Well, I'm Chad. If you change your mind, just hit that call button, and I'll be right up."_

_Jared nodded, letting Chad know that he would do just that, giving him a small smile as the nurse exited the room, sitting up so he could start to look for Jensen once Chad was gone. After all, it wasn't like he had time to do so when the oxygen tube was being pulled out of his throat._

_Jensen had been sleeping before he felt Jared jerk suddenly, causing him to wake, thinking something bad was happening. Pulling back, he looked at Jared, seeing his mouth move, though he couldn't make out what he was saying, his eyes blurry with sleep, still. However, he did see that Jared was sitting up, which couldn't be good for him._

_Frowning, Jensen placed his hand on Jared's shoulder, pushing him backwards gently. _"Jay, come on, lay back. You just had major surgery, you need to relax."_ he ordered, completely oblivious to the near panic attack Jared had been having. After all, it wasn't like he could hear the monitors beeping._

_When he felt a hand on his shoulder, Jared looked over, frowning, ready to swat said hand away from him so he could go find Jensen. However, when he realized Jensen was the owner of the hand, he smiled, not really paying attention to Jensen's warnings. Instead, he pushed Jensen's hand off his shoulder, his arms wrapping around the older male's neck as he pulled him into a heated kiss, tongue instantly pressing against Jensen's, begging for entrance._

_As Jared pulled him into a kiss, Jensen had to brace himself on either side of Jared's bed so he wouldn't fall on top of the injured male. Though, once he had himself steadied, he reached up with one hand, cupping the side of Jared's cheek as he parted his lips, tongue tangling with Jared's own as his thumb brushed against the younger male's cheekbone._

_Once the kiss broke, Jensen smiled down at Jared, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. _"I'm so glad you're okay,"_ he smiled. _"I thought I lost you there for a minute. I don't know what I would have--"__

_Shaking his head, Jared took Jensen's hands in his, licking his lips. _"Shh, babe, don't worry about it. I'm okay. Not like I haven't been shot before,"_ he chuckled, one hand releasing Jensen's to slide up to his face, index finger gently sliding along the butterfly bandage pressed against Jensen's cheekbone, covering his own battle scar, so to speak. _"Are you okay? Does it hurt?"__

_His eyes slid closed as Jared brushed his finger against the bandage on his cheek, shaking his head when he saw Jared ask him if it hurt. _"No. I'm fine. Can barely even feel it."__

_Jared nodded, smiling when he found that Jensen wasn't hurt too badly. A butterfly bandage was getting off easy. There could have been so many more things that could have happened. Much worse things that Jared didn't even want to think about. Though, there was a troubling question running through his head: How the hell had they found Jensen?_

_Suddenly, a nurse rushed in, frowning at Jared. "Are you okay, Officer Padalecki?" he asked, biting his lip. "I heard your monitors going off and I got here as soon as possible."_

_Clearing his throat, Misha stood, walking over to Jared. Gently, he clapped him on the shoulder, shaking his head. "Don't you _ever_ do that to me again, Padalecki!" he scolded lightly, frowning down at Jared. "You have Vicky all worried that you were going to die."_

_Jared chuckled, nodding. "Yeah, I only had Vicky worried that I was going to die," he assured Misha, not believing that for one minute._

_Shrugging, Misha answered, "Well, you know, Jensen was worried too, but that's to be expected when he's got it as bad as he does for you."_

_Hearing Misha tell him Jensen had it bad for him, Jared smiled wider, eyes shifting over to the older male for a brief second before turning to look back at Misha. "And you weren't the least bit concerned about my health. Not even a little bit."_

_"Nah," Misha answered, shaking his head. "I work with you on a daily basis, dude. I know your ass is too stubborn to be taken out by a gunshot wound._

_Throwing his head back, Jared laughed, glad that Misha was here to make this all seem less crappy than it actually was. "Yeah, you're right about that, Misha." Biting his lip, he frowned. "So, when can I get out of here? I mean, Jensen's brother's a doctor, I'm sure he can make house calls for Jensen's adorable boyfriend."_

_Misha shook his head. "You're not leaving until the doctor gives you permission to leave. And you're crazy to think I'm letting you go back to your place after what just happened." Seeing the look on Jared's face, Misha stopped him before he could argue. "Don't even try to argue with me, Padalecki. They know where you live, and if word gets out that either you or Jensen are alive, they'll come back. You know I'm right about this, dude."_

_Rolling his eyes, Jared nodded. "Well, then where am I supposed to go?" he complained, frowning at his partner. "I mean, it's not like I can just hitch a room with my parents, or something. They live in Texas, and I'm not leaving Jensen."_

_"That would be too obvious, anyway. I don't know yet, Jay, but I'll figure it out." Smiling, he clapped Jared's shoulder once more. "Now, you rest up. I'll be back in the morning to check on you. Hopefully, by then Chief and I will have an idea about what to do with your sorry ass." Chuckling, he headed to the door, waiting as Vicky said her goodbyes._

_Vicky wrapped her arms around Jared's neck, kissing his cheek before pulling back. "You get some sleep, baby. Misha has officers at your door just in case anything bad happens. But don't worry about a thing, I'm sure you'll be fine. And if you need anything, Jensen will get it for you, I'm sure." Smiling down at Jared, caressing his cheek in a somewhat motherly way, she added, "Call us in the morning as soon as you wake up and we'll be here. I'm so glad you're okay, sweetheart." With one final hug, Vicky was on her way, taking Misha's hand in hers as they walked towards the elevator._

_Once Misha and Vicky were gone, Jared turned his full attention to Jensen, smiling at him. _"Are you sure you're okay, babe?"_ he asked, wanting to make sure before he fell back asleep. Sure, there was nothing really that he could do for the older man, but he could try. _

_Nodding, Jensen smiled. _"Yeah, I'm okay. Promise. Now, come on, lay down. Get some sleep."_ Jensen then grabbed the blankets, intent on tucking Jared in._

_Jared chuckled, licking his lips. _"You know, everyone keeps telling me that. Guess it must be what the doctor ordered, huh?"__

__"Yeah. And I'd be careful if I were you. The doctor just happens to be my brother, and I'm not afraid to get him in here to make you sleep. He has a lot of medicine that would just knock you right out, buddy."_ Jensen warned, pulling the blankets up to Jared's waist._

__"All right, all right, I'm going to sleep."_ Quickly, Jared reached out and grabbed Jensen's wrist, stopping him from playing with the blankets. _"Lay with me?"_ Pushing against the mattress, Jared managed to scoot over so there was enough room for Jensen to lay down, too._

_Jensen smiled when Jared asked him to lay with him, nodding. As carefully as he could, he crawled into the bed with the other male, pulling Jared up against his body, pillowing the younger male's head against his shoulder as his fingers carded through Jared's hair._

_" _So, you say you know the doctor, huh? Think you can get him to release me early_?" Jared asked, smirking at Jensen._

_Rolling his eyes, Jensen shook his head. " _Go to sleep, Jay_."_


	10. Chapter Ten

Jared unfolded his tall frame from behind the wheel, looking over to the passenger seat to make sure Jensen was following. When he was sure the older male was, Jared headed around to the back of the car, popping the trunk open. It had been two and a half months since he had been shot, all of which he'd spent holed up in a hospital. Actually, he was still supposed to be there, but he had insisted that he was fine and demanded they allow him to be discharged. Luckily, Jensen's brother had been there to give him the go ahead, although he warned him that it was against his better judgment. But Jared just couldn't stay there any longer. It was torture!

Feeling someone shove him, Jared frowned, looking at Jensen, bitch face in full force. _"Why'd you push me?"_ he asked, shaking his head.

 _"You're not carrying these. Josh said that you were supposed to relax and not do anything strenuous. So go open the door and I'll be in with these,"_ Jensen explained, kissing Jared's lips softly. 

_"Fine, fine. Worry wart,"_ Jared answered, rolling his eyes as he dug the key out of his pocket. Even after two months of nearly begging, Misha had stuck to his original plan of not allowing Jensen and Jared to return to the apartment. Instead, he had found them this little isolated cabin out in the middle of nowhere so they wouldn't be bothered. 

As far as anyone back home knew, with the exception of Chief Morgan, Misha, Vicky, and the doctors, Jensen and Jared were dead. It was kind of sad for Jensen, Jared supposed. It seemed that the only people who knew they were okay were all associated with Jared, and Jensen didn't have anyone going into this. 

He jumped slightly when he felt a boot connect with his calf, frowning when he saw Jensen smirking at him. So Jensen thought that was funny? Well, Jared was so going to get him back for that. Quickly, he shoved the key into the lock, turning it and shouldering the door open. Once Jensen was inside, Jared closed the door, locking it up. 

Heading into the living room, Jensen tossed his and Jared's bags on the couch, sighing as he turned to face Jared once more, a smile on his face. _"How are you feeling?"_ he asked, slowly walking over to Jared, arms circling his waist before Jensen tugged him closer.

 _"I'm fine,"_ Jared assured him, nodding, a smile on his face as Jensen pulled him close. He felt really good, actually. Josh had warned him, of course that he might feel some pain, so he prescribed him with some pain killers, which Jared had in his bag. So far, he hadn't had to use any of them, yet, and he hoped his luck stayed with him.

Jensen smiled when Jared told him he was fine, nodding. _"I'm glad. No pain?"_ Jared shook his head. _"Good."_ Leaning in, he kissed Jared's lips softly, smiling once more as he pulled back. _"Are you hungry? I can make food."_

Food? Oh God, yes. _"Yeah, please. I could definitely go for some food right now. Pizza?"_ He knit his brows in confusion when he realized there was no phone around. Talk about going to extremes to make sure no one found out they were alive. _"No phone? How are we supposed to order pizza?"_

Shaking his head, Jensen chuckled. _"We're not ordering in, Jay. I had Misha load the kitchen with food and ingredients, so we're making it homemade. You want to help?"_

 _"Uh, no thanks. I don't think I'd be much good out there. Probably end up burning something. Or, you know, burning the cabin down."_ Chuckling, Jared ran his hands over Jensen's back, smiling. _"I'll go put the bags into the bedroom."_

 _"Jay..."_ Jensen warned, holding his boyfriend tighter. _"Remember that little talk we had about strenuous activity? If you're not going to help me, then sit your butt on the couch and relax. Watch television, or something."_

Jared frowned at Jensen, shaking his head. _"Aw, Jen, come on. It's just right upstairs. The bags aren't even that heavy, babe. I can carry a couple of bags up the stairs, Jen. I'm not going to break if I do."_ Smiling, Jared leaned in, nuzzling against his boyfriend's neck, nose running along Jensen's jaw back to his ear. _"Please, Jenny?"_ he begged, nipping Jensen's ear lobe. _"I'll be really careful. Promise."_

A low moan broke from Jensen's throat when Jared nuzzled against him, nipping at his ear lobe. God, it felt so good. Jenny? That was cheating! Licking his lips, Jensen nodded. _"All right, fine. But if you hurt yourself, don't expect me to help you."_

Chuckling, Jared pulled back, shaking his head. _"Don't lie. You'd help me. You wouldn't be able to help yourself, and you know it. Because you love me."_

 _"You're right, I do love you."_ Jensen assured him, pulling him up close against his body once more, pressing his lips against Jared's, hard yet passionate. _"But I still wouldn't help you because it's your own fault."_

Jared laughed, shaking his head as he pulled away from Jensen once more. He knew the older male would help him and that he was just kidding, so he wasn't really worried about it. Though, he was pretty sure that he wasn't going to hurt himself going up one flight of stairs carrying a couple of duffel bags. Jensen was just being a little overprotective.

Sighing, Jared turned, grabbing up their duffel bags as Jensen moved to the kitchen, grabbing a couple pizza pans to get started on dinner. Once Jared made it up the stairs, he shouldered open the bedroom door, brows raising in approval as he stared at the king-sized bed in the middle of the room. Definitely somewhere Jensen and Jared could spend a lot of time without having to worry about being crammed too close to each other. 

Quickly, he tossed the bags onto the bed, taking one last look around the room before heading down the stairs once again. He made his way into the kitchen, leaning against the arch way leading into the kitchen. Smiling, he licked his lips, enjoying the nice view of Jensen's ass as the older male moved around the room, working on making the pizza. If Jensen had been able to hear him, Jared was sure this would be about the time he would wolf whistle. 

With the smile still plastered on his face, Jared made his way over to Jensen, hands sliding around the older male's waist once he was close enough to do so. He dipped his head then, kissing Jensen's neck, lips sliding down to the other male's shoulder, kissing him through the fabric of his T-shirt. 

Jensen smiled when he felt arms wrapping around him, knowing that Jared was back. Although he couldn't hear him, Jensen knew his boyfriend's arms by now, so he didn't jump or flinch away when Jared touched him. Now, with other people, it wasn't the same. Just before they left the hospital, Misha had touched Jensen's shoulder and he had freaked, going as far as to hit the other male before he knew it was Misha. Of course, Jensen had apologized, and had Jared translate as he explained that he didn't know it was Misha and if he had, he wouldn't have hit him. 

Thankfully, Misha had understood, and he wasn't upset about it or anything. 

Turning in Jared's arms, Jensen wrapped his own arms around Jared's waist, hands sliding into his back pockets, giving his ass a firm squeeze. _"Did you change your mind about coming to help me?"_ he asked, smirking. _"You're a little late. I mean, I already put the pizza in the oven, and it should be ready in about thirty minutes."_

Chuckling, Jared shook his head. _"I don't cook. It's a scary thought, trust me. Guess it's a good thing you know how to cook, otherwise with us having to stay here, we'd probably starve to death. I mean, it's not like we can just order in. We're supposed to be dead, after all."_

Jensen nodded, shrugging. It was probably true. Really, the older male had no idea how Jared even managed to survive for the twenty-seven years before he met Jensen. And as if that wasn't amazing enough, the fact that he managed to stay so fit living on take-out was a miracle. _"Come on, let's check out the rest of the cabin while we wait for dinner to be ready."_

They spent the next twenty-five minutes wandering the cabin, getting acquainted with their new place for the next...however long it took for Misha and his temporary partner, Jim Beaver to close the case. 

It was a huge cabin. There was an open living room, a guest bathroom and a guest bedroom on the first floor. A huge fireplace in the living room that would be perfect for cold nights. Jared could see himself and Jensen curling up on the couch watching television on the 52" plasma screen TV in the room with a fire roaring in that fireplace. It would be like they were actually a happy couple who were just on vacation instead of hiding from criminals who wanted them dead. Maybe one day that would actually happen. 

The guest room had a queen-sized bed in the corner and a small dresser pressed up against the opposite wall. It was a nice room, although it was unnecessary. Jensen and Jared would be in the same room at night. And it wasn't like they were going to have any visitors while they were here. 

They didn't even bother to look at the bathroom. Once you've seen one, you've seen them all. Sure, there was different decor in each and every bathroom, but the layout was pretty much the same. Besides, it wasn't like they were going to be using it all that much. Maybe when they were chilling on the couch and one of them needed to do their business, but mostly, they'd be in the one upstairs. 

As they made their way up the stairs, Jensen insisted on helping Jared walk up, holding his elbow like he was some old man who couldn't walk by himself. _"Man, Jen, come on! I can walk up the stairs. I'm not an invalid,"_ Jared complained, though he made no move to get away.

 _"Shut up and let me help you,"_ Jensen had chastised, shaking his head. _"You've already walked up the stairs once today and you're going to be doing it again later. Not to mention that you have to walk down the stairs, too. So, no arguing."_

Jared smiled when Jensen ordered him to stop arguing. _"You're so cute when you're all demanding and stuff,"_ he teased, ruffling Jensen's short hair. 

Once they reached the top of the stairs, Jensen's hand slid down Jared's elbow, lacing their fingers together as they walked to the master bedroom. Inside, Jensen looked around, noting the bed and the dresser where he was planning on storing all of their clothes after dinner. This was the kind of place he wanted to live in when he finally settled down. Like with Jared, hopefully. 

_"Wanna try out the bed?"_ Jensen asked, smirking as he tugged on Jared's hand. He knew there wasn't time to do anything fun before dinner, so he was just teasing. But it was fun. And the face Jared gave him caused him to smile wide. _"I'm just kidding, baby. We don't have time."_

Unlike downstairs, they did check out the bathroom upstairs seeing as how they were going to be using this bathroom almost all of the time. They're eyes widened whey they saw the size of the shower. It was huge! Oh, they were definitely trying that out sometime soon. On top of the huge shower, there was also a massive jacuzzi equipped with jets. Misha had done a real good job snagging this place. When this was over, he deserved a fruit basket, for sure.

 _"Wanna get in the tub?"_ Jared asked, knocking shoulders with Jensen. _"I actually think I might be able to fit in there. Usually I can't just relax in a tub 'cause I'm so big."_

 _"Maybe later, Jay. We don't have time now, baby. Pizza's probably going to be ready soon,"_ Jensen answered, giving an apologetic frown. Actually, there was nothing more that he would like to do right now than jump into that Padalecki-friendly tub and relax with Jared. But dinner was kind of preventing them from doing that. 

Jared nodding, smiling. _"Well, after we're done eating, I want to try it out."_ His smile widened as he pushed himself closer to Jensen, kissing him softly, at first, only to lean in more firmly pressing his lips harder against Jensen's. He loved the way his boyfriend tasted. Like coffee and mint, and then there was another unique flavor that he was sure was just the taste of Jensen. Really, if they weren't so busy all of the time, he would spend an entire day just mapping out Jensen's mouth and tasting him. 

Suddenly, the timer started going off, causing Jared to frown. Pulling back, he licked his lips, hands sliding down Jensen's back where they had been resting to take the older male's hands instead. _"Pizza's ready,"_ he explained, tugging Jensen along with him as he made his way to the stairs. _"You gonna hold my elbow again?"_ he asked,smirking when Jensen wrapped an arm around his waist and started down the stairs.

Back in the kitchen, Jensen pulled the pizza out of the oven while Jared grabbed a bag of potato chips out of the pantry. Tapping Jensen on the shoulder, Jared asked, _"Potato chips, okay? Or do you want Bar-B-Que?"_ When Jensen shook his head, Jared closed the pantry, tossing the bag of chips onto the table. He then grabbed a couple of plates and set them on the counter, smiling as Jensen put a couple pieces of pizza onto each plate.

 _"Hope you like pepperoni,"_ Jensen smirked, picking up the plates and walking to the table with them, figuring Jared would follow. Taking a seat, Jensen scooted closer to Jared, watching him as he took the first bite, smiling when Jared closed his eyes in approval. 

_"I love pizza night,"_ Jared moaned, licking his lips. _"You make awesome pizza, babe. I've never tasted anything so good."_ He moaned once more when he took another bite, chasing it down with a swig of his beer. 

Shaking his head, Jensen rolled his eyes, slapping Jared's arm. _"Quit sucking up and eat your pizza. I want to try out the bed."_ Smirking, Jensen took another bite of his pizza, his foot sliding against Jared's calf, tangling his ankle around Jared's. 

After dinner, Jensen and Jared cleaned up the few dishes that were dirty and put the food away before heading up the stairs, Jensen once again holding Jared's elbow. It was kind of funny how much like a mother hen Jensen was being, but in all honesty, Jared kind of liked it. Sometimes, after all, it was nice to be taken care of. 

It didn't take long for Jensen to have Jared laying on the bed, turned on his side, his arm wrapped around Jared's waist, lips pressed against his boyfriend's as his tongue ran over the backs of his teeth, tangling with Jared's own, low moans breaking from both of their throats. _"Jen,"_ Jared moaned between kisses, knowing Jensen couldn't hear him, but figuring he could feel Jared's lips moving against his and know what he was saying.

Of course, the kissing didn't last long, Jensen insisting that Jared couldn't get too worked up because they couldn't follow through with it. Not when Jared was still healing. Rolling his eyes, Jared frowned, giving Jensen his best bitch face. _"Really, Jen?"_ he complained. _"It's a little late for that. Just looking at you gets me worked up."_

 _"Sorry,"_ Jensen apologized, rubbing Jared's arm. _"Just...get some sleep. You won't even realize what happens to your body when I'm here if you're sleeping. It'll be no time at all before you're healed and then we can...you know, go further. If you want to."_

Sighing, Jared pushed himself closer to Jensen, claiming his lips once more, tongue delving into his boyfriend's mouth for a taste. _"I want to,"_ Jared assured him, kissing him again. _"Want you, Jen... so bad."_ Desperately, he pulled Jensen closer, rubbing his growing hardness against Jensen's thigh.

 _"Jay, please?"_ Jensen begged, shaking his head. _"Not now. I want you so bad, and it's hard enough forcing myself to stop without you grinding all over me. When you're back at one hundred percent, then I'm all for it. But until then, you have to help me out here."_

Jared nodded, forcing his body to stop it's grinding movements against Jensen. _"M'sorry,"_ he apologized, licking his lips. _"I didn't mean to make things harder on you. I just...we've waited so long already, and I guess I'm getting ahead of myself here with the healing. I'll wait. Help you wait. We can do it."_

Returning Jared's nod, Jensen smiled. _"Thank you,"_ he replied. _"You want to get some sleep, now?"_ He smiled when Jared nodded, pulling the younger male in closer, allowing Jared's head to rest in the crook of his neck. _"I love you, Jay."_

 _"I love you too, Jen,"_ Jared smiled, snuggling up closer to Jensen, his arms around the older male tightening as he closed his eyes. Looks like the tub was going to have to wait until morning. Jensen was already out, and there was no way he was going to use the tub by himself. It wouldn't be as good. 

**~~**

"It's been two months, Misha! Dammit, I want to go home!" Jared yelled, slamming his fist into the counter. "I'm tired of being dead, and I want to get back to work. I'm going crazy being here. Please, tell me you got something."

"I know you don't want to be there anymore, Jared, but calm down," Misha answered. "Jim and I might be on to something, but it's going to take a while to get this executed. So, you need to just sit tight. Besides, I thought you would like the Jared and Jensen one on one time. What's the matter?"

Sighing, Jared shook his head, rolling his eyes. "Nothing. It's been great here with Jensen, you know when he's not treating me like I'm made of glass and will break if he moves the wrong way. He's scared to touch me half of the time."

Misha chuckled on the other line, trying to stifle the sound for Jared's benefit. "All right, Jay. Look, I'll escort Josh to the cabin as soon as I can and he can give you a clean bill of health. Then, Jensen won't have to worry about 'breaking you' as you put it."

"Thanks, Misha," Jared mumbled, turning so he could press his lower back into the counter, his free hand reaching behind himself to grab the edge of the counter. A small smile came to his face when Jensen walked into the kitchen, his Harvard sweats hanging low on his hips, chest bare with water droplets still beading on his skin. Jared swallowed thickly, feeling his cock stir in his jeans. "How soon can you get him here?"

Hearing the tone of Jared's voice, how low and husky it had gotten, Misha frowned. "Man, he's in the room with you, isn't he? Can you please control your hormones while I'm on the phone with you?" Shaking his head, Misha rolled his eyes. "I don't know when I'll get him there. As soon as I can. But right now, I have to get to _Leo's Pub and Grille_. Vicky wanted to meet there for dinner and I can't be late again. I'll talk to you later, Jay. Hang in there."

"Yeah, bye," Jared answered, ending the call and tossing the cell phone into the drawer where he kept it when he wanted to have time alone with Jensen. Once he closed the drawer, he turned to look back at Jensen, a wolfish grin on his face. _"Come here, babe,"_ Jared coaxed, holding his arms out to Jensen.

A small smile came to Jensen's face when Jared told him to go to him. _"Baby, don't do this to me,"_ Jensen begged. _"We've talked about this."_ Biting his lip, he frowned, walking over to Jared and gently kissed his lips. _"Just...wait until you're healed."_

 _"I am healed!"_ Jared assured him, catching Jensen's arm before he could get too far away. _"Please, just stop avoiding me. I'm fine. It's been four and a half months since I was shot and I feel fine, Jen."_

Frowning, Jensen shook his head. _"I just want to be sure before you go straining yourself. Can you do that for me? Wait until we're sure? Please?"_ When Jared nodded, Jensen returned the nod, a smirk on his face. _"And besides, I'm not avoiding you. I kiss you all of the time, so quit being over dramatic."_ His smirked widened to a full smile before he kissed Jared once more, deeper this time. _"Now, what do you want for dinner, baby?"_

Jared shook his head, chuckling. So maybe he was over reacting but when Jensen was walking around the house like that what was he supposed to do?! _"It's your fault I'm acting like this,"_ Jared assured him, rolling his eyes. _"What do you want from me when you're walking around the house all sexy like that?"_ When he saw that Jensen was feigning innocence, he frowned. _"I don't know about dinner. Surprise me."_

After eating the most amazing pork chops to ever pass his lips, Jared was beat. But tonight he had planned on getting in the tub. His back was kind of achy and the jets seemed to help him out. Of course, he knew something else that could help him out in the form of Jensen's magic fingers, but he wasn't getting close enough to massage him, Jared figured. Sighing, Jared pulled from the couch, a small frown on his face when he saw that he had woken Jensen. _"Hey, babe, sorry. I'm gonna go get in the tub. You wanna go to bed, or are you gonna sack out down here?"_

Inhaling deeply, Jensen looked up at Jared, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes. _"No, uh, I'm going to bed. You getting in the tub?"_ Jared nodded. _"Do you need help?"_

 _"Do I need help?"_ Jared asked, knitting his brows in confusion. _"I can do things on my own, you know. So, unless you're talking about sex in the tub, then I got it. You look tired, anyway, so just get some sleep. I'll be in as soon as I'm done."_

Jensen frowned when Jared told him he could do things on his own. _"I know you can do things by yourself, baby. I just worry about you."_ Slowly, Jensen pushed himself off the couch. _"I'm sorry. Didn't mean to make you mad."_

Before Jensen could get too far away, Jared grabbed his elbow, pulling him in for a slow, deep kiss. _"You didn't make me mad, Jen. I know you worry. But you don't have to. I'm fine. It's barely even a scratch anymore."_ Taking Jensen's hand, Jared lead him up the stairs, stopping once they were at the bedroom door. _"You go on in. I'll be there as soon as I'm done."_

Once he was in the bathroom, Jared turned on the tub, fiddling with the nozzles until he had the right temperature. He then turned towards the mirror, pulling his shirt off, wincing slightly at the pain that still radiated through his chest. So, maybe he wasn't one hundred percent better, but it was good enough. It didn't even hurt all that bad unless he moved the wrong way. Or he was changing his shirt. Other than that, he was all better.

About an hour and a half later, Jared was climbing out of the tub, wrapping a towel loosely around his waist. Sighing, he leaned against the counter,pushing his hair out of his face as he looked at himself in the mirror. Slowly, he pulled his toothbrush out of the cup it was sitting in, making sure he grabbed his instead of Jensen's before grabbing the toothpaste. 

A scream from the bedroom caught Jared's attention, causing him to nearly throw his toothbrush into the sink and bolt from the room. "Jen?!" he called, knowing he couldn't hear him, but not really caring at the moment. Jensen had screamed, which lead Jared to believe that he was in trouble, and getting to him was all that mattered. 

Inside the room, Jared hit the lights, running to the bed and grabbing his boyfriend, pulling him into his chest. His hands pressed against Jensen's back, pulling the older male closer, lips gently trailing from Jensen's temple to his cheek, across to his lips. _"Hey, what happened? Are you okay, babe?"_

Jensen's hands gripped at Jared's shoulders, chin resting against his boyfriend's shoulder as he bit into his lip, trying to stifle the tears threatening to fall. _"I'm okay,"_ he assured Jared, nodding. _"It was just a nightmare. I'm fine."_

 _"Nightmare?"_ Jared asked, pulling back, thumb sliding along Jensen's cheek, frowning when he felt the wetness of tears there. _"Do you want to tell me about it, Jen?"_

Sighing, Jensen caught Jared's hand, lacing their fingers together. _"Uh, yeah, sure."_ Slowly, Jensen slid on the bed, using the headboard to rest his back against as he pat the bed beside him. _"Come up here and sit with me. I'll tell you all about it."_

Jared smiled reassuringly at Jensen, sliding up on the mattress to sit beside Jensen on the bed. His arm slid around Jensen's shoulders, pulling the older male in closer. _"Okay, tell me everything."_


	11. Chapter Eleven

Jensen leaned his head against Jared's chest, sighing as he licked his lips. _"About five years ago, I was in a car accident with my dad. A drunk driver hit us head on. We were rushed to the hospital where Josh operated on our father."_ Biting his lip, Jensen looked up at Jared, trying for a small smile. _"Our dad didn't make it. And Josh was sure that I wasn't going to wake up. But I did. I was just...different."_

 _"Different?"_ Jared asked. _"How?"_ When Jensen just looked at him, he frowned, Jensen's words finally hitting him. _"You woke up without your hearing. That's why you can't read lips as well as someone who would have been able to if they had been deaf his whole life."_ Jensen nodded. _"Oh, Jen, I'm so sorry. About your dad and the things you must have had to go through. The adjustments you must have had to make."_

Smiling, Jensen cupped Jared's cheek. _"At least one good thing came out of it."_ Seeing the look of sheer confusion on Jared's face, Jensen chuckled, shaking his head. _"If I wouldn't have lost my hearing, I would have never moved out here. But I needed to get away from everything back in Texas, so my mother moved out here with me. Sure, we live in separate houses, but we were only a few blocks away from each other. I was actually on my way to visit her when I saw those guys kill Steve. Anyway, if I wouldn't have moved out here, then I would have never met you. So, at least something came out of it."_

Jared could feel tears of joy and love pricking at his eyes. Quickly, he leaned in, capturing Jensen's lips with his own, tongue sliding along Jensen's full bottom lip, tasting the older male. _"I love you, Jen,"_ Jared assured him, thumb sliding over Jensen's cheek bone. 

_"I love you, too,"_ Jensen smiled, hand sliding up to card through Jared's hair, pulling the younger male in for another kiss. His tongue slid along the seam of Jared's lips, begging for entrance, instantly pushing inside and tangling with Jared's own tongue the minute it was granted. A low moan broke from his throat as he moved his free hand to wrap around Jared's back, pulling him closer.

By the time the kiss broke, Jensen and Jared were both panting. Jared's hands moved to grip Jensen's shoulders, pulling the older male back in so he could devour his full, luscious lips once more. The kiss didn't last as long this time due to Jared pulling away, forehead resting against Jensen's. _"I want you,"_ Jared explained, kissing Jensen again. _"Make love to me, Jen."_

Jensen bit his lip, wanting so badly to do what Jared was asking, but knowing that it was a bad idea. _"Strenuous activity, Jay,"_ he explained, shaking his head. _"I want to, but we shouldn't. If I make you relapse, or something, I don't--"_

Jared's hand covered Jensen's hands, stopping him from making any more excuses. _"Jen, I'm fine,"_ Jared repeated. _"Please? Can you just forget about the whole injury thing? I'm good. Please, Jenny?"_ In all of his twenty-seven years, Jared never thought he would be begging his boyfriend to have sex with him. But here he was, practically in Jensen's lap, begging him to make love to him. Again, he kissed Jensen, hoping that he would get the picture that Jared really was fine, for the most part, and he really wanted this. Wanted him. 

Frowning, Jensen's eyes locked with Jared's, tongue slowly sliding along his lips. He smiled when he could still taste Jared there. How the hell was he supposed to resist Jared when he was like this? After all, Jensen was only human and he'd wanted Jared, pretty much since the first time he'd laid eyes on him.

Before he could talk himself out of it again, Jensen leaned in, brushing his lips against Jared's. Gently, he pulled his hands from Jared's, his lips once again finding Jared's, the kiss deeper this time, more firm. A low moan broke from his throat as his hands slid up Jared's arms, fisting in his long hair. 

Jared's own hands came up to grip at Jensen's hips, pulling the older male closer to him. His lips parted, inviting Jensen's tongue into his mouth, his own tongue wrapping around Jensen's once the muscle took the invitation. 

Quickly, Jensen's hands slid down Jared's body, wrapping around the younger male's hips before he pulled him into his lap. Once Jared was sitting in his lap, Jensen allowed his hands to move up Jared's body again, fingers tangling in his hair once more. He loved his hair. It was soft and just long enough that he could curl his fingers in the silky strands. 

A surprised moan broke from Jared when he was pulled into Jensen's lap, his legs spreading so that he could straddle his boyfriend's thighs. His lips slid across Jensen's cheek, down his neck and across his shoulder. God, Jensen tasted so good. Jared could just kiss and suck his skin all day. Slowly, his hands slid up Jensen's chest, tweaking the older male's nipples. 

Jensen moved his hands to grip Jared's ass, holding the younger male tightly as he flipped them, blanketing Jared's body with his own. His lips trailed across Jared's cheek, down to his long neck, nipping and biting at the sensitive flesh. He could feel the moan breaking from the younger male's throat as he teased his neck with his lips, teeth and tongue, making him go crazy with need, wanting to feel Jared's moans vibrating against his own lips again.

 _"Ungh,"_ Jared groaned, his hips rolling upwards to meet Jensen's, grinding their cocks together. His hands moved to press against his boyfriend's shoulder blades, pulling Jensen's upper body closer to his own, arching off the bed in order to get impossibly closer. When he felt Jensen's lips and teeth against his neck, he turned his head to the side, giving Jensen better access, another moan tearing from his throat. 

Quickly, Jared gripped Jensen's chin, pulling his face up from his neck so that he could mold their mouths together once more, tongue pushing it's way into Jensen's mouth to tangle with the older male's own. As the kiss continued, Jared's hands slid back behind Jensen's head, fingers tangling in the short cropped strands of Jensen's hair. 

Jensen sucked Jared's bottom lip into his mouth, biting down into the soft flesh of the younger male's lip, pulling his head back slightly. _"I love you, Jay,"_ he assured him, hand sliding down his boyfriend's chest, tweaking and teasing his nipple on his way. _"Are you sure you want to do this right now?"_

Nodding, Jared licked his lips, head pressing into the pillow as he clenched his teeth, eyes squeezed tightly closed, moans and gasps of pleasure leaving him. He opened his eyes to glance at Jensen when he stopped touching him, figuring there had to be a reason for it, like him trying to communicate. _"I love you too, Jen. And yes, I'm sure I want to do this,"_ he assured him, nodding once more. Again, he rolled his hips, grinding against Jensen. "Please?"

That was all Jensen needed to hear before he was convinced. He wasn't going to ask anymore. Quickly, he moved his hand to the knot in Jared's towel, tugging it loose before pulling the offending material away from the younger male's body, tossing it unceremoniously into the corner, figuring they could worry about it later as his lips once again found Jared's. As the kiss continued, Jensen's hand found Jared's cock, stroking him with long, lazy pulls. His free hand slid across the mattress, blindly feeling around for the drawer of the nightstand. Once he found it, he tugged it open, reaching inside and grabbing the lube.

Jared gasped, his back arching off the bed, pressing his body closer to Jensen's as the older male gave his dick attention. "Oh God, Jen," he moaned, knowing the older male wouldn't hear, but not really caring at the moment. According to his past partners, he was a very vocal lover, and he didn't think he was going to be able to change just because Jensen couldn't hear him. Old habits died hard, he supposed. 

He moaned into the kiss, lips parting in invitation, tongue tangling with Jensen's as soon as the older male took the hint. His eyes squeezed tightly closed once more as Jensen's changed the pressure at which he was stroking him, back once more arching off the bed, another moan breaking from his throat only to be swallowed up in the kiss. 

As fast as he possibly could, Jensen popped the cap on the lube. _"Throw your leg over my shoulder,"_ he instructed. When Jared did as he was told, Jensen poured a generous amount of lube into his palm, coating his index and middle fingers. He then slowly circled the digits around Jared's tightly puckered hole, pressing gently, then releasing. 

Gasping, Jared's body once again arched off the bed, hands gripping Jensen's shoulders, finger biting into his flesh. _"J-Jen, just go slow,"_ he explained, licking his lips. _"I haven't--It's...been a while."_ Chad was the last person he'd been with, and that was four years ago. Well, three and a half, but it was close enough to four. 

Slowly, Jensen nodded, leaning in to kiss Jared's lips once more. His index finger gently pressed forward, slipping past the tight ring of muscle before he stopped, giving Jared time to adjust. After a moment, he pushed in deeper, all the way to the third knuckle, once again stopping so Jared could get used to the invasion. 

Once Jensen thought Jared was ready, he began to move his finger, pulling the digit almost completely out of Jared's body, leaving just the tip before pushing back inside all of the way. He continued the action a few more times before he added a second finger, scissoring the digits inside the younger male, opening him up for what was to come.

Low moans and groans broke from Jared's throat as Jensen worked him, Jared's hands gripping Jensen's shoulders tighter. _"Mm...Jen, yeah, oh God."_ His right hand slid up Jensen's shoulder to his neck, then higher, fisting in his short cropped hair, pulling the older male into a heated kiss. Another moan broke from him as his tongue slipped into Jensen's mouth, tangling with his boyfriend's own tongue. 

As the kiss continued, Jensen added a third finger, moving all three digits inside Jared. Once he thought Jared was ready, he pulled his fingers away from him completely, grabbing the lube again, squirting a large glob into the center of his palm. He then coated his cock liberally, his free hand pressing against the bed to keep himself from falling on top of Jared and crushing the younger male. A few moments later, he slipped his arm beneath Jared's knee, pulling his leg back over his shoulder, it having slipped down when Jensen was grabbing the lube.

Before Jensen made another move to do more, he looked into Jared's eyes, as if asking if this is what he really wanted. Silently letting Jared know this was the last chance he had to back out, and if he didn't speak now, then he was going to have to forever hold his peace. Sure, he had decided earlier he wasn't going to ask again, but he needed to make absolutely sure he was ready for this. 

Jared didn't need Jensen to voice his question, knowing full well what he was asking with that deep look of his. His only answer was to lean up, his hand slipping into Jensen's hair before he pulled the older male down for a deep, passionate kiss. Of course he wasn't going to change his mind about this. After all, not ten minutes ago, he was on Jensen's lap, begging the older male to do just this, and now he was getting what he wanted, and Jensen thought he was going to ask him to stop?! Was he crazy?!

The kiss was a good enough answer for Jensen, his tongue sliding into Jared's mouth to tangle with the younger male's own. His right hand slid up Jared's thigh, over his side up to his face, cupping his cheek as the kiss continued. Meanwhile, his left hand gripped the base of his own cock, guiding himself into Jared's prepared hole. Slowly, he pulled back, licking his lips, the taste of Jared lingering there before he began to push into his lover.

As Jensen pushed into him, Jared gasped, biting his lip to keep most of the noises stifled. His hands continued to grip Jensen's shoulders, fingernails biting into Jensen's flesh. He was grateful that Jensen actually listened to him and was taking this slow, the older male stopping every few inches to allow Jared time to adjust. Finally, he was all the way in, stopping his movements completely to allow Jared to get used to the invasion. 

After a few more moments, Jared licked his lips, cupping Jensen's cheek as he nodded, letting the older male know it was okay for him to move. Quickly, Jared lifted his upper body off the bed, capturing Jensen's lips, pushing his tongue past the older male's lips. A small gasp escaped him, the noise being swallowed up in the kiss, as Jensen began to slowly pull out.

When Jared nodded, Jensen knew what he was trying to say. Generally, when you spend every waking moment with a person, you tend to know what they're trying to say even without words. As he kissed the younger male, he braced himself wit his right hand, left hand sliding up Jared's side, snaking around his back, fingers biting lightly into his lover's smooth, perfect skin. Slowly, he started moving, pulling almost all the way out of the younger male, leaving just the tip inside before just as slowly pushing back in. 

Small moans and groans filled the room as the men continued to make love, Jensen gradually picking up the pace with each thrust, setting a steady rhythm. Jared's fingertips bit into Jensen's shoulders as he pulled the older male impossibly closer, his lips once again claiming Jensen's in a heated, passionate kiss, their tongues tangling once more. Jensen's left hand slid around from Jared's back, teasing his lover's peaked nipple, pinching the nub lightly before his hand slid downward, moving over smooth, baby soft skin, feeling Jared's muscles rippling under his touch. 

His fingers wrapped around Jared's hard, leaking shaft once he reached his destination, stroking the younger male in time with his thrusts. Jensen then angled his hips, snapping forward, a smile spreading across his features when Jared's lips parted, his eyes squeezing tightly closed, fingers biting harder into his flesh, letting Jensen know he had hit that sweet spot inside his lover he had been aiming for. With each thrust thereafter, he made sure to hit Jared's prostate, wanting to make it as pleasurable as possible for his lover. 

Jared could feel his orgasm coming, his whole body growing somewhat tense. He just hoped Jensen would get the message because there was no way he could even remember how to tell Jensen he was about to cum right now. Not when the older male was making him feel so damn good. His hands balled into fists against Jensen's back, balls drawing up close to his body before the first ribbon of cum shot out of his dick, coating Jensen's hand and splashing against Jared's stomach. 

When he felt Jared's body tensing, Jensen knew he was about to cum. After a few more thrusts, he felt Jared's release wetting his hand. Giving a few more thrusts, Jensen came inside Jared, moaning as he did, head tilting forward, stifling the louder noises against Jared's shoulder. Finally, their pleasure subsided, leaving both man panting and gasping as they lie next to each other, blankets pulled up to their waists. 

Once he had caught his breath, Jared rolled onto his side, arm slipping around Jensen's waist, using the older male's body to pull himself closer to Jensen. _"Mmm...that was...wow,"_ he complimented, lips slowly dragging along Jensen's shoulder to his throat, suckling the tender flesh into his mouth, tongue licking along the abused flesh once he released it. 

_"Yeah,"_ Jensen agreed, chuckling, his eyes slipping closed as he felt his lover's lips sucking at his skin, his tongue soothing over the flesh. _"I didn't hurt you, did I?"_ he asked, still not entirely convinced that they should have done that. But it was too late to dwell on it, now. What was done was done, and there was nothing they could do to change it. And if he had hurt Jared, then he was just going to have to deal with it somehow. 

Rolling his eyes, Jared answered, _"Yes,"_ shaking his head to let Jensen know that it was sarcasm in case he missed the eye roll. _"Jen, I'm fine. I told you I was, and you didn't hurt me."_ Gently, he took Jensen's hand in his own, pulling the older male's hand across his chest, pressing his palm against the scratch that was still healing. _"Barely even there anymore, babe."_

Jensen smiled when Jared placed his hand over his forming scar, thinking it was probably one of the most romantic things anyone has ever done with him. Slowly, he slid his hand to the right slightly, stopping when he could feel his lover's heart beating beneath his palm, still beating a little faster than normal after their recent activities.

He closed his eyes as the feel of Jensen's hand over his heart, placing his own hand over the older male's lacing their fingers together before he moved to lie more comfortably against Jensen. Now that the post-orgasmic bliss was wearing off, Jared was tired, and he just wanted to curl up next to his lover and sleep for a good five or six hours. A small smile played against his lips when he felt Jensen moving around to get comfortable before his breaths began to puff out against Jared's cheek, letting him know that Jensen was planning on sleeping as well.

**~~**

"I really appreciate you coming over for dinner tonight," Chris called from the kitchen. "It's been a really long time since I've eaten at the house alone, and I just don't think I'm ready for that." Lately, he'd been eating out with clients or some friends, just trying to keep his mind off the fact that Steve was gone. However, every night when he would crawl into his bed, he'd be reminded of that fact, and his whole day of no tears would be shot to hell. 

"Oh, don't even worry about it," Danneel replied. "I'm glad you called. We need to start hanging out more often." Smiling, Danneel walked into the kitchen next to Chris, watching as he cut up some parsley to add to the pot of spaghetti sauce. A small, concerned frown spread across her features before she placed her hand over Chris's. "How are you doing? Really?" she asked. "I mean, after everything with Steve and then Jensen. Are you really okay, as you keep insisting?"

Chris bit his lip, focusing intently on the parsley he had been cutting before Danneel touched his hand. Truthfully, he wasn't all right. Not at all. First, he lost his boyfriend, and not even six months later, he lost his best friend to the same men who had killed Steve. So no, he was anything but all right. Shaking his head, he answered, "No, not really. But I have to be. I have to stay strong and just...keep up the happy, friendly face and hope it gets better. Right?"

For the first time since she hatched this insane plan of hers, Danneel felt awful. The one person she hadn't been trying to hurt was now breaking, and it was all her fault. Of course, she knew in the beginning that he would be upset because his boyfriend was dead, but he could get over that. She hadn't expected that she would have to get Jensen killed to save her skin. And now Chris was depressed and Danneel didn't know if she could bring him out of it as easily as she thought she was going to. But she was going to try.

Slowly, she moved a little closer, cupping her ex's cheek. "It's okay, Chris," she assured him. "You don't have to be strong all of the time. You can break down every now and then." Moving her hand so that her fingers were gently carding through Chris's hair, she looked into his baby blue eyes, smiling. "I'm here for you." Her tongue drug slowly across her lips before she leaned in, pressing her lips to Chris's.

When Danneel's lips connected with his, Chris pulled back quickly, eyes wide. "Danni, I..." he started, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, I can't." Frowning, he moved away from Danneel, grabbing the green peppers that needed to be chopped up and put into the sauce. 

Shaking her head, Danneel muttered, "No, don't be sorry, it's my fault. I shouldn't have done that. I know you're hurting and vulnerable, and I just took it the wrong way. I'm sorry." Sighing, she looked over at the stove, seeing there was only three minutes left on the timer, indicating how much longer the garlic toast was going to take. "Well, I'll set the table and get drinks. Beer, okay?" Seeing Chris's nod, she headed into the dining room, setting out plates and silverware before grabbing the beers from the fridge. 

As Chris chopped up the peppers, he thought about what had just happened. It wasn't like it was suspicious, or anything. After all, he and Danneel had been together for a while before he met Steve and broke it off. Maybe she still had feelings for him and in his depressed state, he was giving her signals unintentionally. Really, he couldn't blame her for that. And if he thought about it, there still was something there between them. Now, whether or not it was just friendship or something more, Chris wasn't sure.

"Ow, fuck!" Chris yelled, throwing the knife down on the counter before grabbing his finger. Because he had been thinking about where he and Daneel stood as of now, he hadn't been paying attention to what he was doing, which was stupid on his part. Frowning, he looked at his finger, watching as the blood slid from the cut and onto the cutting board.

Hearing Chris's shout, Danneel ran into the kitchen, stopping behind Chris. "Are you okay? What happened?" she asked, concern clear on her lovely features. When her ex turned, she gasped, seeing how much blood was pouring from Chris's finger. "Oh my God. That's a lot of blood." Grabbing his elbow with one hand, turning off all the burners and the stove with the other, Danneel instructed, "Come on, we need to get that checked. Josh should be at the hospital now, he can tell you if you need stitches because I'm no doctor, but I would say you do."

Danneel made it to the hospital in ten minutes, having sped the whole way there. Quickly, she rushed Chris into the building, telling the first nurse she saw that she needed to speak with Doctor Ackles. She and Chris were then escorted into a room where they were told to wait for Josh.

About five minutes later, Josh walked into the room, greeting them both with a wide smile. "So, what happened?" he asked, taking Chris's hand in his own and examining the cut. "Nurse Cortes made it sound as though you had a severed arm, or something."

Chuckling, Chris shook his head. "Yeah, probably because Danneel's over reacting. I just cut myself while I was making dinner. Stupid me wasn't paying attention to the vegetables I was cutting and my finger took the hit."

"I was not over reacting," Danneel argued, shaking her head. "I think he needs stitches and I was just making sure you got here before Chris bled to death, or something." Okay, so maybe she was over reacting. 

Josh gave Danneel a confused look. "Yeah, you're not over reacting," he chuckled. "He's fine. I'll have Genevieve come in and stitch that up. Just...try to pay attention next time you're cutting vegetables. I don't want to have to sew your finger back on." With another smile, Josh walked out of the room, saying good bye to both Danneel and Chris as he motioned for Genevieve to tend to Chris and get him out of here.

As soon as he was out of the room, he was greeted by Misha. "Officer Collins, hi," he smiled, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against the wall. Things were pretty slow tonight, so he figured he and Misha could talk here for a little while. "What can I do for you?"

Misha smiled when he was greeted, looking around the hallway. "Is that District Attorney Kane in there?" he asked, brows raising when he received the nod from Josh. "What happened to him?"

"He cut himself while he was chopping vegetables," Josh answered, knitting his brows in confusion. "You didn't come here to talk about Chris though, did you?"

Chuckling, Misha shook his head. "No, you're right I didn't. Uh, can we talk somewhere more private?"

Josh nodded, pushing off the wall. "Yeah, come on, we can go to my office."

A small frown formed on Danneel's face when she saw Josh talking to a police officer. When they were heading away, Danneel's curiosity got the best of her and she had to go investigate. "Uh, Chris, I don't think I can stay in here while you're getting stitched up. Needles. Ew. I'll meet you in the lobby?" When Chris nodded, Danneel smiled at him, squeezing his shoulder before she walked out of the room, following Josh and the officer at a safe distance.

Once the men were in the office, Josh closed his door, almost all of the way, not wanting it to get too stuffy in the room. "So, what's this about Officer Collins? Did something happen?"

Misha shook his head. "Please, just call me Misha. And no, nothing happened. Well, not really. I was just wondering if you would be free to head up to the cabin with me tomorrow."

"Uh, yeah, I should be. I'll get out of here around noon and then we can go?" Josh answered, nodding. "Can I ask why?"

Chuckling, Misha licked his lips. "It seems that your brother refuses to touch Jared because he's worried that he'll hurt him. So, Jay just wants you to go give him a once over so Jensen will stop worrying and treating him like he's going to break."

Josh laughed when Misha explained, shaking his head. "Yeah, that sounds like Jen. Well, like I said, I'll be out of here around noon if you want to pick me up. Or you could just give me the address and I'll head up there by myself if you want to get there sooner."

"Actually, I have to be at one of Vicky's friends' weddings at eleven, so noon's a little too early for me. The address is 6054 May's Lane if you want to head up there before me and I'll meet you there when I can get away from the wedding?"

Grabbing a pen and his notepad, Josh wrote down the address, nodding. "Yeah, I'll head up as soon as 

I'm off work and keep the love birds company while we wait for you. Sounds like a plan." Smiling, he pointed to Misha. "But hey, if you talk to Jay before I get there, you better tell him he owes me one."

"Yeah, I'll make sure to tell him," Misha chuckled. "Just call me when you get there. Like I said, I'll be there as soon as I can."

**~~**

Danneel's head was spinning. Jensen was alive?! What the hell?! Couldn't those morons do anything?! Angrily, she stormed down the hall, grabbing her cell phone from her purse and dialing Michael Rosenbaum's number. "Mike! You lied to me!"

"What are you talking about?" Mike asked, stilling his motions, causing Tom to glare at him angrily before he bit into his shoulder. 

"You told me that Jensen was dead. You lied. He's not dead and neither is that cop that was protecting him. They survived, you idiot!" Shaking her head, she continued, "One little job. That's all I ask of you and you can't even finish it!"

Picking up his pace inside Tom once more, Mike rolled his eyes. "Look, there was blood everywhere and they weren't breathing as far as we could tell. We thought they were dead."

"Well, you thought wrong. Now listen to me very closely. They are holed up in a cabin. The address is 6054 May's Lane. Go there and finish the job. And Mike, if it's not done right this time, I'll turn you in."

"Turn me in? I'll tell them you were involved, Princess."

"And it'll be my word against yours. Who do you think they'll believe? A couple of murders, or the District Attorney's best friend." The silence she received was her answer. "That's what I thought. Next time I hear from you, they better be dead." With that, she snapped the phone shut, tossing it back into her purse just before she caught up with Chris. 

"Hey," she greeted, looking at his finger. "All patched up?" When he nodded, she smiled, pulling her keys from her purse. "All right then, let's get you home."


	12. Chapter Twelve

Jensen woke the next morning with Jared pressed tightly against his body, a thin sheen of sweat covering the younger male due to their close proximity. A small smile graced the older male's lips as he looked at his lover, studying his face while he slept. Jared was so beautiful; like an angel, and for a moment, Jensen wondered why someone so perfect was with someone like him. Someone who was flawed and broken.

Slowly, Jensen dipped his head, kissing Jared's temple. He then allowed his lips to trail downward, across Jared's cheek, then even lower to the younger man’s neck and shoulder. Jared had a very unique taste that Jensen had recently acquired a liking to. Like berries and rain with a hint of coffee underneath. It made Jensen crave coffee more so than he usually did in the mornings. 

A soft moan from the younger man had Jensen smiling against Jared's flesh. He loved it when he elicited small sounds from his lover. Sure, he couldn't hear them, but he could always feel Jared's throat working before the sound actually came out of his mouth. His tongue slid from between his lips, licking at the tender flesh of Jared's neck, knowing that was a particularly sensitive spot on the younger male.

Opening his eyes just a crack, Jared peeked at Jensen, a small chuckle working out of him. He slowly rolled onto his back, causing his body to slightly slide itself under Jensen. _"Good morning to you, too, babe,"_ he smiled, dimples denting his cheeks. Quickly, he lifted his upper body off the bed, one hand moving to tangle in Jensen's hair as their lips connected. After a moment, he pulled back, licking his lips. _"Best wake up call ever."_

By the time Jared broke the kiss, Jensen was panting, already having been slightly aroused just by kissing various parts of Jared's upper body. Now, after the tongue action, Jensen was definitely feeling a little needy. _"Yeah, best ever,"_ he agreed, licking his lips, smiling softly when he tasted the other male there. _"So, do you want breakfast?"_

Jared smiled, licking his lips. _"Breakfast sounds good,"_ he answered, nodding. _"What did you have in mind? Personally, I could go for some scrambled eggs and some bacon. Ooh, and maybe pancakes?"_ Glancing at the door, Jared smirked. _"Bath first?"_

At the mention of a bath, Jensen bit his lip, thinking the idea over. Well, it sounded good, really good, especially since last night they didn't wash up after making love. Sighing, he pushed off the bed, a small smile on his face as he looked down at Jared. _"Bath sounds good. C'mon."_ He took Jared's hand in his own, tugging the younger man along with him as he walked to the bathroom. 

His smile widened as he allowed Jensen to lead him to the bathroom, having already tried out the tub himself, but knowing that it would be so much better with Jensen in there with him. Everything always seemed so much better with Jensen there. Once in the bathroom, Jared broke away, turning on the water and the jets, wanting Jensen's first experience in this bath tub to be memorable. After all, it wasn't everyday Jensen got into the tub, more of a shower person, really.

Meanwhile, Jensen grabbed a couple of towels, draping them over the back of the toilet where they could easily be reached. He then turned towards Jared, smiling as he watched him climb into the tub. He was like a little kid on Christmas morning when it came to this thing, and it amused Jensen more than it should have. But he had never seen anyone get as excited about a bath tub as Jared did. Slowly, he climbed into the tub with Jared, stretching his arms out along the edges. _"This thing isn't a bath tub,"_ he chuckled. _"It's a damn hot tub. It's huge!"_

 _"I like it,"_ Jared smiled, moving to sit closer to Jensen. _"It's big enough to fit me and you. I might have to enlarge my apartment and get one of these put in. Being here is making me spoiled."_ His hands disappeared beneath the water a moment before coming back up, water inside his cupped hands. He then dumps the water down his chest, moaning in content when the warm water sends a warm sensation through his body. _"Feels good, huh?"_

Jensen smiled when his lover told him he was getting spoiled here. It was nice to know Jared was enjoying himself, that was for sure. His smile only widened when Jared asked if it felt good, nodding in answer. _"Feels nice. I like the jets."_ They felt really good on his lower back, which was giving him problems after falling asleep on the couch the night before. 

Smiling, Jared moved closer to Jensen, head resting on the older man’s shoulder as his arm moved to wrap around Jensen's waist below the water. They could clean up after they were done cuddling as far as Jared was concerned, and considering that Jensen put his arm around him as well, his cheek pressing against Jared's head, Jared figured Jensen had the same idea as he did. As nice as the jets and the warm water felt, nothing could compare to the feeling he got when Jensen was around him. Everything about Jensen made him feel warm and loved inside, and it was more than Jared could ever ask for. 

_"We should go hiking through the woods,"_ Jared suggested, looking up at Jensen to see if he liked the idea. It wasn't like they had anything else planned for the day, and sitting around the house didn't sound nearly as appealing as a walk through the woods. 

A small smile graced Jensen's lips at the idea of going hiking. _"Yeah, we could do that,"_ he agreed, wrapping one arm around Jared's waist once he had answered, just wanting to hold the him for a little while longer before they got out of the tub.

Ten minutes later, Jared was killing the jets and Jensen was draining the water. Both men grabbed their towels and dried off as much as necessary to get from point A to point B before wrapping said towels around their hips and moving to the bedroom to get dressed. Once they were both in comfortable clothes, Jensen headed down the stairs, Jared in tow.

 _"All right, so you get the bag and pack up water and snacks, I'll make sandwiches for actual real food and then we'll be out of here,"_ Jensen instructed, figuring it was a good plan. After all, he didn't want Jared to hurt himself while making sandwiches which the younger male had insisted would happen if he was forced to make his own lunch the other day. Of course, Jensen knew Jared was just being lazy, but he made the sandwich for him, regardless.

Unfortunately, they had spent too much time in the bath tub, and it was now too late for breakfast. Oh well. Jensen's strawberry kiwi crepes were just going to have to wait for another morning. Good thing he hadn't told Jared what he was planning on making for him, otherwise Jensen would be at the stove making the crepes to pack for the hike. Not that he would have minded. It was just that sandwiches were so much faster. 

Jared did as he was told, grabbing mini-sized bags of Doritos and Cheetos, M&Ms, and of course his gummy worms. On top of that, he grabbed a bag of Original Sun Chips and six bottles of water, knowing that he tended to get thirsty, plus Jensen needed water. Once he was done tossing all of his goodies into the bag, he smiled at Jensen, watching as he lay the bread over the lunch meat and cheese. Oh man, that was making him hungry.

 _"Ready?"_ he asked, taking the sandwiches from Jensen and placing them in the bag as well. Somewhere safe so they wouldn't get smashed, of course. He hated squashed bread as much as the next guy.

Jensen chuckled when Jared asked if he was ready to leave, nodding. This was going to be fun, he was sure. When he was little, his father would take the family on hiking trip to a cabin much like this one every year. It was one of the best weeks of Jensen's life. However, since his father passed away, he wasn't sure if he would be able to do this without breaking down, not having been on a hiking trip since the accident. But Jared was here, so if he had a problem, he was sure the younger man could help him through it. 

Quickly, Jared shouldered the bag before taking Jensen's hand and pulling him along with him as he left the house. The fresh spring breeze washed over them, making Jared smile. Spring was a beautiful time of year, in Jared's opinion. And there was nothing better that he could think of to do besides take a nice walk through the woodsy area behind the cabin. There was a path in the trees, which lead him to believe it was supposed to be explored. 

About half way through the trail, they stopped to get a drink, which lead to Jared sitting down in the clearing and taking out the sandwiches. _"I'm hungry. Are you hungry?"_ He smiled when he saw Jensen laughing, head shaking back and forth as he took a seat.

 _"Yeah, I could eat,"_ Jensen answered, smiling as he scooted as close as he possibly could to Jared without crowding him. He took the sandwich offered setting his water bottle on the ground beside him so he could open the baggie his sandwich had been stored in. Once his sandwich was out of the baggie, he tossed the baggie back into the bag, taking a bite out of the sandwich. Wow, he made good sandwiches.

Jared closed the distance between the two of them as he watched Jensen eat, taking a bite of his own sandwich. He wasn't sure why Jensen hadn't just pressed their bodies together the minute he took a seat, but he didn't like it. The thought that Jensen may have wanted some space between them flit through his mind, but Jensen wasn't pushing him away, and he didn't look angry either if the smile on his face was any indication.

The rest of lunch was eaten in silence, both men just enjoying the closeness and the beautiful sights around them. The trees were gorgeous right now, little pink flowers just starting to bud on the branches mixing great with the bright green leaves. At one point, Jared put his arm behind Jensen's back, leaning on his elbows as he stared up at the clear blue sky. 

_"It's gorgeous out here,"_ Jared mused, smiling over at his boyfriend. _"Kinda makes me sad that we're going to be leaving when Jim and Misha catch Michael and Tom."_ Sure, he wanted to go home and stop pretending that he was dead, but that didn't change the fact that this place was indeed beautiful. And it didn't change the fact that these past two months when he'd had Jensen all to himself were some of the best days of his life. After all, back home something always got in the way. Work, sleep, Misha.

He and Jensen really only had a small window of time to spend together before they came here, now that Jared thought about it. So why the hell had he been so eager to leave? Jared didn't have an answer. Biting his lip, he leaned over more onto his side, looking at Jensen. _"So, what would you think if I told you I wanted to buy this property and the cabin on it? We could make it like a vacation spot for when we want to get away. Would you be interested in that?"_

A vacation spot? Like an actual space for him and Jared to go when they wanted to get away from everything in the city? Wow, that would be great. Plus, it meant that Jared still saw them together in the future, which was even more great. _"I would definitely be interested in that,"_ Jensen answered, his smile widening as he leaned in to brush his lips across Jared's. _"Could we come here often?"_

 _"As often as you want,"_ Jared answered, pressing his lips to Jensen's more firmly. _"And maybe we can get a grill and invite friends over on nice days?"_ Again, he kissed Jensen, a little more firmly this time as well. _"And get bubbles for the bath tub because I like bubbles."_ This time when he kissed Jensen, he deepened it, tongue pushing into the older male's mouth and tangling with Jensen's own tongue. A low moan broke out of Jared when he felt Jensen's fingers tangle in his hair, pulling him in closer and positioning his head the way he wanted it as he took control of the kiss.

Slowly, Jensen pushed Jared onto his back, blanketing his body with his own as he continued to kiss and nip his lips. His hand which wasn't fisted in Jared's hair moved to wrap around Jared's back, pulling him closer to Jensen as he forced the younger male's back to arch, smiling against Jared's lips when he felt Jared moan.

The make out session lasted for a good while before Jensen pulled back, smiling down at Jared. _"So, are we done walking?"_ he asked, eyes searching Jared’s face to see if he got the hint. He didn't seem to, so Jensen rubbed his growing hard-on against the younger male's thigh, hoping to spark some realization in him. 

Jared frowned when Jensen asked if they were done walking, figuring it was a joke. There was still half of the trail left to explore. And they'd only been out here for about half an hour. If Jensen wasn't an outdoorsy type of person, then he should have told Jared and he wouldn't have made the older male come out here. However, when Jensen rubbed against him, he moaned, licking his lips. _Oh!_ Okay, Jared got it now. Well, if that was the case, then hell yeah, they were done walking!

Nodding, Jared kissed Jensen's lips, hard and passionate, tongue sliding into the older male's mouth and tangling with Jensen's own tongue. As he continued to kiss Jensen, he pushed the older male up so they were sitting once more, smiling when he finally pulled back. _"I guess we can save the rest of the trail for another day,"_ he said, grabbing the water bottles and tossing them back into the bag, quickly pushing himself up. _"Are you ready?"_

 _"Yeah,"_ Jensen answered, a wide smile spreading across his lips at how fast Jared had packed up. Obviously, he was into this plan as much as Jensen had hoped he was. Quickly, he pulled to his feet, grabbing Jared's hand and pulling him along after him as he made his way back to the cabin. 

Their pace was a lot faster on the way back than it had been on the way through the trail, both men wanting to get back and into the bedroom. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they made it back to the cabin. However, when they came up to the door, Jared noticed that it was ajar, causing the younger male to become tense. Someone was here.

Turning at the waist, he grabbed Jensen's biceps, forcing the older male to stop. _"Someone's in there,"_ he explained, a frown on his face. He had a pretty good idea of who was in there, he just didn't know how they were in there. If he was right, and it was Mike and Tom, they must have inside connections. Quickly, he thought of every person who was still aware that they were alive. There wasn't a really big list, so it was going to be easy to narrow it down. 

Misha? No way he would ever do anything to put Jared, or Jensen for that matter, in danger. He had been Jared's best friend since he joined the force six years ago. Jeffrey? Not a chance. He was Jared's captain, and like a second father to him. Josh? Absolutely not. Jensen was his brother, and Jared doubted he would want to have him killed. So that left...well, no one, leading Jared to believe that Mike and Tom had found them another way.

 _"Stay here. I'm going in. Whatever you do,_ don't _follow me,"_ Jared ordered, shaking his head. _"I mean it."_ If he got shot, or injured in some way, that would be fine, but if Jensen got hurt, then he didn't know what he was going to do.

Jensen's eyes widened when Jared told him there was someone in there. How the hell had anyone found them?! They were dead! Of course, being the optimist he was, he was going to suggest it was someone they knew, remembering that Josh and Misha were supposed to come over today, but a glance at his watch told him that wasn't the case. It was Friday. And he knew that Josh was always in surgery until at least eleven thirty.

However, when Jared told him that he was going in and that he was supposed to stay put, he shook his head, eyes as wide as saucers. _"Are you fucking nuts?! If you're going in there, then so am I. You can't keep me on a leash like this, Jay."_ Squaring his shoulders, he glared at the older male. _"I'm either going with you, or neither one of us is going in."_ Actually, that probably would have been the smart thing to do, but he knew if it wasn't Josh or Misha in there, then it had to be Mike and Tom. Which meant that this was Jared's chance to finally catch those assholes and put them in a cell where they belonged. So they had to do this.

Jared gave Jensen the best bitch face he could muster when the older male insisted that he go inside as well. But there was no way Jared could argue with him about it because Jensen had given him an ultimatum, and he was going to take it. _"Fine. But you stay right beside me, and if I grab you, stop. We have to be careful about this."_ He didn't want a repeat of last time. 

When Jensen agreed to the terms, Jared nodded, silently pushing the door the rest of the way open. With any luck, they already left and Jared wouldn't have to deal with them while Jensen was right here. But he knew he couldn't get that lucky. He also knew that he had a gun hidden in the drawer where he threw the cell phone when he and Jensen wanted to have alone time. Once he got to the gun, life would be so much easier. 

Luckily, there was no incidents on the way to the kitchen and Jared was able to get a hold of the gun without too much trouble. Once he had the gun, he grabbed Jensen's hand, pulling him along behind him as he carefully made his way into the living room. Still, Mike and Tom were nowhere to be seen. Hell, maybe they had been lucky and the two morons left when they realized Jensen and Jared weren't home. 

A noise from upstairs told him differently, however. _"I think they're upstairs,"_ Jared informed, licking his lips as he walked over to the staircase, gun held up and ready to fire, if necessary. Slowly, Jared started up the stairs, listening for any sign that Mike and Tom were moving. He didn't hear anything, so he figured they were holed up in a room somewhere waiting for him and Jensen to come in. Probably the bedroom. Jared knew that was where he would hide if he was trying to sneak up on someone. 

Once they reached the bathroom, Jared grabbed Jensen, forcing him to stop. _"Jen, I'm asking you because I love you and don't want you to get hurt, so don't freak out on me. Please, will you go into the bathroom and lock the door behind you. I'll be fine."_

Jensen shook his head when Jared asked him to leave his side and hide in the bathroom. _"I'm not leaving you to face both of them by yourself, Jay. So no, it's not going to happen!"_

 _"Please, Jen? I can't do this if I'm worrying about you. At least if you're in there, then I know you'll be safe."_ Sighing, he leaned in, pressing his lips to Jensen's. _"Please, babe. Do this for me. I'm begging you, please?"_

Frowning, Jensen shook his head. He could see where Jared was coming from, and honestly he couldn't blame him. He knew if their positions were reversed, he would be the same way. And really, what could he do to help. He couldn't even _hear_ if the men were coming after them. Sighing, he nodded, pressing his lips to Jared's once more. _"Be careful."_ With that, he walked into the bathroom, closing the door softly behind him and turning the lock.

Now that he had Jensen safe, Jared could concentrate solely on finding Mike and Tom and taking them out. He wasn't going to kill them, certainly not. That would make it too easy for them. No, Jared wanted them to experience jail. He wanted them to rot in prison for murdering Steve Carlson and countless others, and for trying to kill him and Jensen. They deserved the death penalty, but this wasn't Texas, unfortunately.

Suddenly, Jared heard a noise behind him, causing him to stop. "Drop your weapon," he heard a man command. It was Tom. He could tell by the voice. Slowly, he let his gun drop to the floor, looking out of the corner of his eye to see how close the other male was. Good, he was right where Jared needed him to be. 

Quickly, Jared turned around, grabbing Tom's arm and twisting it to the side, forcing his forearm to the right, causing the male to cry out and drop his weapon. Jared then punched the male in the jaw, intent on making the man hurt. But he didn't have time to properly beat the shit out of him, he knew, figuring that Mike was somewhere close. 

And he was right. He heard the other male scream Tom's name right before the gun fired. Jared barely had enough time to move out of the way. Luckily though, he managed to dodge the bullet, it hitting Tom in the abdomen instead. Jared heard Tom cry out and saw him fall, rolling onto his stomach and pushing himself up off the floor just as he heard Mike call him a sonuavbitch. Honestly, he really didn't care what that killer thought of him. 

Jared made his way into the guest bedroom, knowing that he needed to have four walls around him so he could only be attacked by one side, which he could watch. After all, he had lost his gun back there and now he didn't have a weapon, unlike Mike. He figured Tom was out of the picture for now. No way was he going to be able to be much help with a bullet in his gut. Now it was one on one, and Jared was pretty happy with his odds. 

His breaths were coming out in soft pants as he hid behind the door, waiting for Mike to come into the room. If he could hit him hard enough, Mike would drop his gun and then the fight would be even more fair. He would like his odds even more then. Hearing the other man’s footsteps getting closer, Jared held his breath, waiting for the right moment. As soon as he saw the gun, he knew this was it. Quickly, he kicked the door, putting all of his strength behind it, smiling when he heard Mike cry out and saw the gun hit the floor.

Unfortunately, he didn't have time to grab it before the back of his shirt was grabbed and he was pulled out into the hallway. Damn, this man had more muscle than Jared gave him credit for. Jared was tossed into the opposite wall, going down in a heap as his breath whooshed out of him. Gasping, he gripped the wall, using it to pull himself back to his feet. However, when he got up, he wished he had just stayed down.

A solid kick to the abdomen had him doubling over in pain, breaths once again leaving him. He then got punched in the jaw, his head snapping to the side so fast he was surprised his neck didn't snap. What happened next, he never could have anticipated. Hands rested on his shoulders for a mere second before he was sent hurtling down the stairs. His back slammed against the wall when he hit the small balcony surrounding the staircases and Jared cried out in pain. On top of that, he'd felt one of his ribs break on the way down. Shit, this wasn't good.

As fast as his broken body would allow him, Jared pushed to his feet, hand moving to his torso, holding his side so he didn't jar his broken rib too much as he made his way down the remaining stairs. He needed to get to his cell phone and call Misha. He was an idiot for not doing so sooner, but the idea had only just come to him. 

Mike, however, obviously had different plans for him. He quickly caught up to the broken Jared, kicking him in the small of his back, sending him falling into the living room. Once Jared was down again, he kicked him in his rib cage, smiling when he heard something crack. Ooh, it was so much fun to beat up on cops. One of his favorite past times, actually. He kicked Jared one more time, making sure that the end result was Jared lying on his back, coughing and sputtering. He wanted him to see it when he pulled the trigger. 

"You have been such a pain in my ass, Officer Padalecki," Mike complained, pulling his extra gun out of the back of his jeans. "You and that pathetic little boyfriend of yours. I'm going to make sure I get him next." Smirking, Mike added, "You know, he's kind of cute. Maybe Tom and I can have some fun with him before we waste him."

Jared glared at Mike when he started talking about Jensen. "Don't...you fucking...touch him, you...sick bastard," he panted, having trouble breathing after getting tossed down the stairs and then kicked while he was done. Some man Mike was to kick his opponent while he was on the ground. Pansy.

"Who's going to stop me?" Mike asked, smiling maliciously at the other male. He cocked the gun then, looking down at Jared, pale blue eyes filled with what looked like lust. Sick bastard was getting off on the idea that he was going to shoot Jared. "Well, it's been a pleasure kicking your ass. Say good night, princess."

Jared was ready for the shot to come, not afraid to die but hoping that Jensen could get over it. When he heard a shot, he paused, waiting for the pain that it would bring. But the pain never came. Instead, Mike fell to the ground, blood pooling around his body. Eyebrows knit in confusion, Jared looked up at where Mike had been standing, seeing Jensen standing there with a smoking gun in his hands. 

"Jen," Jared whispered, pushing up onto his elbows, groaning in pain. Jensen had just saved his life. _"I thought I told you to stay in the bathroom,"_ Jared scolded, trying his best to be mad although he really couldn't be. 

_"Hey, I just saved your ass, so shut up,"_ Jensen scolded right back, dropping to his knees beside Jared. He gently cupped the older male's cheek, thumb brushing along the bruise forming around Jared's right eye. _"Are you okay? Do we need to get to the hospital?"_

Shaking his head, Jared leaned into Jensen's touch. _"No, I'm good. I think I just broke a couple of ribs."_ So, maybe they should go to the hospital. Nah, the hospital was coming to them in a little while so he would be fine. Josh would be able to give him a good once over and then he'd be fine. He hissed in a breath when he tried to get up a little more, pain slicing through his torso. Maybe he could snag some painkillers from the good doc, too.

Jensen was about to pick Jared up and drag his ass to the hospital, however when Jared got a look on his face, he frowned, turning at the waist to see what Jared was looking at. Misha. Oh thank God, Misha was here!

Having heard shots fired in the cabin, Misha ran inside, gun at the ready. When he saw that Jensen and Jared were okay, he sighed in relief, the memories of seeing both of them on the floor bleeding just a few months ago pushing their way into his mind once more. Thank God this wasn't the time he ran into a building and saw his best friend with a bullet in his skull. However, seeing Mike with a bullet in his back wasn't all that traumatizing. 

"Jay," Misha breathed, kneeling down beside the two men. "Are you guys all right? Where's Tom?" Michael Rosenbaum never went anywhere without his little side kick. They were like salt and pepper. Where's there's one, the other usually isn't that far behind. 

"He's upstairs," Jared answered, eyes darting over to Jensen. Tom must be either dead or unconscious if Jensen had been able to get past him. And judging by where the bullet hit Tom, Jared was going to take a guess and say the former. "We're fine. Ungh...where's Josh?"

Misha's eyes moved to the staircase when he was told Tom was upstairs, figuring they were going to have another dead body to worry about. Good, the assholes deserved to die. No one messed with his friends and got away with it. "On his way. He got caught up in surgery," Misha answered, licking his lips as he stood. "Paramedics and back up are also on their way, so hang in there.”

**~~**

Chris woke to the sound of pounding at his door. Slowly, wiping the sleep from his eyes, he stood, looking over to see if Danneel was still sleeping. She was. Last night had been a bad night, so Danneel offered to stay over, and Chris accepted the offer. She slept in his bed, on Steve's side, and it was almost like his boyfriend was back. Only he knew it was a lie. But it had helped him sleep, and that was all that mattered, right?

He yawned as he walked to the door, pulling it open. "Misha, Jared," he greeted, frowning. "I thought you were dead, Jared. What are you guys doing here?"

"We need to tell you something," Jared answered, frowning. "About Danneel. We have new evidence that she was involved in Steve's murder. And after she had Steve killed, she found out that Jensen witnessed it and got scared. So, she hired them again to take out Jensen and since I was there, me too. Mike and Tom are dead, and we need to take Danneel down to the station."

Chris's eyes widened when Jared told him that Danneel was involved in Steve's murder. But...why would she do that?! Suddenly, everything clicked into place in his mind. The way she had wiggled her way back into Christian's life, and how she was acting like she was his girlfriend again. She couldn't handle the fact that he had dumped her for Steve, so she had him killed. "She's in the bedroom," he answered, moving out of the way so Jared and Misha could enter the house.

Jared moved into the house first, followed by Misha. They had planned this in the car, Jared insisting that he be the one to put the bitch in cuffs. After all, hadn't he earned that right? Misha apparently thought so, not arguing with the request and telling Jared that if he happened to hit her accidentally, he would lie and say Danneel was just making up stories. Of course, Jared had laughed and told him he wouldn't be doing that, but it was nice of him to have his back.

Once inside the bedroom, Misha yanked the blankets off Danneel, kicking the mattress to wake her up. "Rise and shine, Miss Harris!" he called, eyes darting over to Jared, watching him as he helped Danneel move her ass a little faster.

"Danneel Harris, you are under arrest for the murder of Steve Carlson and the attempted murder of Jensen Ackles and Officer Padalecki," Jared explained, continuing to read off her rights even as she kicked and screamed, demanding that he let her go and assuring him that she was innocent.

On the way out, Chris stopped them, looking at Danneel, sadness and disappointment clear on his handsome features. "I can't believe you would do something like this," he said, shaking his head. "Enjoy your life in prison, bitch."

Danneel shook her head, once again struggling as Jared pushed her towards the squad car. "No! Chris, I didn't do it! They're wrong! Chris, please, you have to believe me! Chris!" The car door and Chris's front door slammed in her face, cutting off her cries and pleas to Chris.

**~~**

** Six Months Later **

"Misha, get your ass out here with those steaks!" Jared called, shaking his head. He didn't understand what took so long to season a damn steak. Misha had been in there for nearly ten minutes, after all.

Frowning, Misha walked out of the house, carrying a plate of steaks in his hands. "Cool your heels, Padalecki. Perfection takes time. And these babies are perfect."

Jared rolled his eyes, looking at the plate when Misha got close enough. "Yeah, I bet they are. Would you like to cook them, or am I allowed. I mean, I don't want to mess up your _perfect_ steaks." He chuckled when Misha gave him a dirty look, shaking his head once again. "All right, all right, you cook. I'm going to find Jensen."

It didn't take that long to find Jensen, Jared knowing that he would be out in the back playing with the dogs. Harley and Sadie were new additions to Jared and Jensen's family, and it was the best decision they'd ever made. Well, one of the best decisions. The other was definitely moving out of Jared's small, one bedroom apartment and buying the house across the street from Misha. That was a good idea, too.

As soon as Jared was spotted by the dogs, they came barreling towards him, Harley almost knocking him on his ass when he jumped up to lick at Jared's face. "Oh, Harley," Jared groaned, pressing his lips together tightly so he wouldn't get frenched by his dog. "All right, come on, big boy. Get off me." Chuckling, he watched as Harley ran after Sadie, both dogs barking and playing happily, each one grabbing an end of the toy Jensen had been throwing and playing tug-of-war.

 _"You know me too well, babe,"_ Jared answered, smiling. _"I don't need to know how to cook. You take good care of me in that department."_ Smiling wider, dimples denting his cheeks, Jared kissed Jensen again, tongue sliding into Jensen's mouth, tangling with each other. He pulled back when he heard Misha calling for him, letting him know that he needed Jensen's help with the grill. Jared laughed at Misha before he looked back at Jensen. _"Misha can't get the grill to work. He needs your genius brain over there to give him a hand."_

Jensen laughed when he heard Misha couldn't work the grill, shaking his head. _"All right, all right. I'm going,"_ he assured him, kissing Jared one last time before jogging over to the grill and helping Misha figure it out.

Jared smiled as he watched the scene playing out before him. Jensen and Misha working the grill, Chris chatting it up with Jason Manns, a buddy of his who was possible boyfriend material, Jensen's mother talking to Vicky about some girly thing or another, and their dogs playing happily in the yard. This was something he never thought he was going to experience, yet here he was, in the middle of all of it. He felt like the luckiest man on Earth as Jensen jogged back over to him, tackling him to the ground and kissing him passionately.

Oh yeah, he could definitely get used to a life like this.


End file.
